PMD: Dawn Guardians
by Kori Blaze
Summary: A world in turmoil, decaying trust between allies, and a long-forgotten abomination rising up to reign chaos. In the middle are three young Pokemon--who just may be the only ones who can save everybody, and come to terms with their own traumatic pasts.
1. Chapter 1: Changes Arrive

_So tired…_

_She just lay there, hoping to will the pain and fatigue away. Clouds filled her mind…she felt dazed and lost. Mostly tired, though._ Just want to sleep_…she thought. She kept lying there._

"_Hey."_

_The pale Riolu twitched, then levered herself with difficulty into a sitting position. It was only early dawn, but even so the light was momentarily too strong, and she blinked repeatedly. "What…who…?" she muttered groggily. The haze started to clear up from her mind, but not by much. What was unsettling was that feeling of emptiness—she couldn't REMEMBER anything. _

_She looked up to see an older Pokemon standing above her._

"_It's alright," the other Pokemon said in a calm, authoritative voice. "You're safe." _

_--_

"Wow." Dai just stood at the entrance to the Square, looking around her. "It sure has been a while since we left, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. Nice to know the place hasn't been torn apart by an earthquake or flood. Yet," Absol said with a noted lack of caring.

"Oh, c'mon, don't be like that." Dai gently cuffed his shoulder with her paw, hoping to get him to lighten up some. "You're always so pessimistic."

"With good reason, too," Absol growled. "You wouldn't exactly be so cheery either, if your nickname was the 'Disaster Pokemon'. You bet it makes someone feel very warm and fuzzy."

"Well anyways, guys, I'm glad to be back," Blaziken mumbled. "When I get back to the Scorched Plains, first thing I'm gonna do is take after that Typhlosion—SLEEP."

"Yep, me too," Absol said brightly. Granted, the Dark-Type would probably remain awake until night actually fell, griping about countless subjects.

"Go ahead, guys," Dai said. "I'm gonna drop this stuff off at Storage, and then I'll get some sleep myself. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Dai." Blaziken turned and strode away, followed by Absol. Dai watched her team partners leave, then went her own way. The Espeon stifled a yawn, and in doing so nearly tripped over a loose flagstone. It had been a long, difficult exploration of the Buried Relic. The Pokemon they'd faced there were stronger than any of them had expected (Absol had ranted and carried on for hours beforehand about how the wild Pokemon there could all be bloodthirsty, rabid lv. 80 Aerodactyls, knowing their luck), especially considering that they'd had to face off against three legendaries. Then they'd fought their way through 65 more floors, finally emerging with a load of exotic and useful items—and a quickly gained case of lethargy.

Oh, well. Maybe after a couple days, everyone would get their energy back.

"Oh, hey! Dai!" a voice called. Dai looked up to see a familiar Water/Grass-Type Pokemon strolling over to her.

"Hi, Lombre," she called, giving a tired grin. "How was everything while we were gone?"

"Ah, it was okay…granted it wasn't entirely peaceful, but still. It's better than when all those really bad disasters were happening," Lombre said. He was referring to the rash of natural disasters that had been racking the world, the product of a falling star that had been on a collision course with the world. Dai's Team Zakuro—by now a Gold Rank rescue Team—had shattered a boundary and scaled the sky to seek Rayquaza's help in destroying it, and had regained peace. That had been a year ago. Of course, the disasters weren't permanently ended—they still happened, but much less often, and not as drastic. Now the missions the teams got were mostly escort missions or deliveries—things had been quiet. "So did you guys just get back, or what?"

"Yep, that's right," Dai said. Despite Lombre's casual attitude, she got a feeling that something had happened. "So what's up?"

"Well…" Lombre hesitated, then decided to tell her. "Some Pokemon just woke up from a coma over by Whiscash Pond. Maybe you should go see her sometime—Alakazam's team's already over there."

"'Kay. Thanks for the tip, Lombre," Dai said. "See you later!"

--

Four minutes later, she padded into the clearing at the edge of town. Everything was still the same as it was when she left—a tranquil feeling emanated from the area. On the opposite side of the clear pond, waterfalls poured down from a smooth rock wall to become one with the sky's mirror (lately, Blaziken had started to joke that Dai had been a poet in a past life. Maybe it came with having a Psychic-Type evolution.). She looked around and, sure enough, there was Alakazam and his team centered around a much smaller Pokemon. Caterpie, Metapod, and Elder Whiscash had also joined the group.

"What's going on, you guys?" Dai asked curiously, walking over to approach them. They all turned to face her.

"Hey, Dai," Charizard greeted. "You guys just got back, right?"

"Yay! I'm glad Dai's team's back," Caterpie piped up. "I missed playing with Dai."

"Glad to hear that," Dai laughed quietly and looked around again. Then she saw a small Pokemon staring at her. She had never seen a Pokemon like it before—the bipedal canine had an extremely pale-blue fur color, with black markings on her paws and face, stumpy spikes on its paws (one each), and Cheri-red eyes. Something about this Pokemon made Dai feel nervous—maybe the feeling that her thoughts, her very _aura, _was being read by this child. Or maybe she was just having a nagging thought that this Pokemon reminded her of someone she'd heard of before… "Um…hi," she said awkwardly. Dai was naturally shy and somewhat timid—she was okay around people she had gotten to know, but was still a bit lame when it came to introductions.


	2. chapter 2: More changes

_Yes, the next chapter. Keep in mind that I'll keep updating as it progresses. Thank you._

_Absol: ….eh. I've read better._

_Blaziken: Absol. Get. Your. Foot. Off. My. Head. NOW!!!_

Ch. 2  
She stood watching the Espeon, taking the opportunity to read her aura. No potential threats were detected—the feline Pokemon just seemed tired. She was quite pretty, too, with light lavender fur, brown diamond shaped eyes, a tail that split into two ends, large fox-like ears, and a small red jewel on her forehead.

Maybe what the Alakazam had told her was true—perhaps she really was safe here.

"So, um…what's your story?" The Espeon asked uncertainly. It was easy to tell she wasn't exactly bold in terms of meeting new people.

"I…can't remember," the Riolu said quietly. It was true—any memory beyond the most recent 12 minutes was a blank.

"You have amnesia," Alakazam explained. "You won't be able to recall anything for a while, though you should eventually regain your memory. However, even I can't predict how long that would take."

"I'm Dai." The Espeon gave an uncertain smile. "What's your name?"

"My….name?" _Why can't I even remember my name?!_ the Riolu thought frantically, considering who she was, what she could do… "Aura," she finally answered. It sounded about right.

She looked at Dai again, and something occurred to her. "Um…Dai?" Aura asked tentatively. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Go ahead," Dai said. "What's up?"

"Um…I…I don't really know where I'm staying, or what I should do from here…" Aura started, scuffling a paw along the ground. "So, if it's not any trouble…could I maybe—"

"Stick around with you?" Dai said at the same time Aura did. At the Riolu's startled expression she explained, "It's telepathy. And of course, you can."

"….really?" Aura said. "Thanks."

"Not a problem. Follow me. See you, guys!" Dai called after the others as she and Aura left the Pond.17 minutes later, Dai was heading over to the Pelipper Post Office to decide on missions for tomorrow. They had already stopped at Kanghaskan's storage to drop off the contents of their stuffed Toolbox and to pick up a Power Band for Aura (Dai had an extensive collection of such holding items, particularly Pecha Scarves. She'd been collecting them since the Groudon incident), and now Aura was fast asleep inside Dai's house. Any missions they chose would have to be fairly easy—first, to help get the rest of the team back in shape. And second, to help Aura get used to the difficulty of their missions, if she eventually decided to join their team. Dai couldn't explain it, but she felt an almost sister-like devotion to the Riolu. Maybe this was what her premonitions and Absol's foresighting abilities had been pointing to.

As she neared the Bulletin Board, she happened to glance over at a group of Pokemon clustered close together. At a second look she frowned. What had, at first glance, looked like a large-sized rescue team was now made out to be several intimidating looking Pokemon-a Bannette, a Roselia, a Magmar, and a Hitmonlee-surrounding two smaller Pokemon.

"So, Jack," the Bannette said conversationally, with a voice that hinted at maniacal mischief. The puppet-like Ghost-Type waved his long apparatus' that served as 'arms', and his blood-red eyes flashed, looking creepy paired with his evil grin. "Don't you think you and your friend should apologize for bowling into Hitmonlee here?"

"….." No reply came from either of the protagonists.

"Whazza matter, midgets?" Magmar taunted, his beak curving in a sneer. The flames lining his back and sides flared up, and he swished his lizard-like tail. "Too scared to even come up with a decent comeback? Hah! Figures—without your superior Leaf-an'-Tail around, you two aren't so hot, are ya?" With this, a thin beam of fire shot out of his beak at the targets.

"Hey!" Dai shouted. The band ignored her.

"Hah, look!" Hitmonlee called. "Pyromaniac Midget and the Psycho Ant are giving u-"

"Psychic!" A strange glow encased the Magmar, and he was suddenly sent flying into a tree. The group momentarily parted enough for Dai to see a short, craggy orange lizard with a flame on his tail and a stubby spike protruding from the back of his head, and a brown medium-sized ant with a large head glaring defiantly at their foes. Suddenly, Bannette yelped as sparks shot out beneath him.

"YOW!" he yelped. "What the-?!"

Next thing any of them knew, a shower of full-blown thunderbolts started dancing around the four bullies, causing them to scatter in a confused mess.

_What in heck…?_ Dai wondered. Then something occurred to her. _Oh. Wait. Maybe it's…_

"GAH!" Bannette screeched—the ghostly puppet had just been struck with a particularly nasty bolt of electricity. "Grr…let's split, you guys!" This being said, he teleported himself, Magmar, Hitmonlee, and Roselia away. The Charmeleon and Trapinch were left behind, blinking and looking around them.

"What the….hey?" Dai heard the Charmeleon mutter. She suddenly heard a twig snap, and she turned to see a sierra and orange colored mouse about her size emerge from her hiding place in the bushes, her lightning bolt tail snagging slightly on some branches. The Pokemon was cracking up at her most recent antics.

"Man…I just love doing that," Raichu giggled, shaking leaves out of her fur. The brown circles on her cheeks sparked slightly with leftover static electricity. "Hi, Dai."

"Hey," Dai responded, impressed by Raichu's antics. For someone who wasn't even on a rescue team--and was slightly crazy--, the Electric-type sure was good in a fight. "Who was that?"

"Who? Them?" Raichu sighed and scratched behind her ear. "That was the 'ever-majestic' Team Darkshade. They just formed while you guys were gone."

"Yeah, they say they're, like, the Messaiahs of a new era or something pompous and all-mighty like that," the Charmeleon said as he and Trapinch came up to them. "But in reality, they're just a bunch of ego-ridden jerks. Like, I just tripped and accidentally bumped into that Hitmonlee, and they all just blew up at me! I swear, they're worse than Razor at some points. Sheesh!" He rolled his eyes. "By the way, hi, I'm Jack."

"Jay." The Trapinch waved, giving a friendly smile.

"Nice to meetcha," Raichu said. "I'm Raichu, and this is Dai." She motioned a paw to Dai standing next to her.

"So what's your story?" Dai asked the two. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"Ah, well…" Jay scuffed the ground almost embarrassedly with a short foot, and for a moment Dai wondered if she'd asked a bad question. "We aren't exactly from anywhere—I guess we're what you could call 'nomads'."

"Or, as a more accurate term, 'sadistic underground rebel rogues'," Jack said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"'Razor'?" Raichu asked curiously, her head tilted to convey confusion. "Who's that?"

"Raze is our teacher," Jack said. "She's a certified ninja, and a Delta Species, to boot. I'm still just an apprentice--Jay's already able to take care of himself." He sighed. "I'm hoping that if I train under her I can be part of an actual rescue team someday, but…"

The Charmeleon suddenly yelped as he saw how low the sun had sunk. "YIPES! I'm late! Oh, man, Razor's gonna skin me alive for this! Thanks, sorry, bye!" he called as he sprinted away, followed by a still calm Jay.

"See you, guys," Jay called.

"So, huh," Dai said.

"Yep," Raichu responded. "You guys are back?"

"Yeah." Dai nodded. "It was pretty rough going, but I think we'll live. So what all happened while we were in absentia?"

"You mean, besides Team Darkshade, and Razor's group coming to the Square? Well…" Raichu hesitated, her large ears twitching uncertainly.

Dai was unsettled by her friend's pausing. "What?" she pressed.

"Well, some pretty shady characters have been coming through here lately. The roster changes sometimes, but mostly it's a Houndoom and a Weavile. They just keep asking everybody weird questions, like if we've seen any strangers around, or if we though somebody was involved in underground activities. It was all pretty paranoid." Raichu shrugged. "I don't get what that's all about, but I just don't think we can trust them."

"Hm." Dai nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe we should keep a close eye on them, try and find out what they're up to."

"Yeah, good idea," Raichu said. "Let's meet at Mt. Cleft sometime and have a meeting about what we'll do."

"Sounds good to me," Dai said. "I'll tell Blaziken and Absol. See you later!"

As the two friends separated and went back to their homes, neither of them noticed the dark figure watching them from the cover of a fallen tree. In the darkness a pair of blood-red eyes glinted, their owner well covered by the shadows. He stood watching the two Pokemon leave, then gave a small grunt of satisfaction, turned and bounded silently away.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3: Wonderings, Help from Allies

Ch

Ch. 3  
_"Now I use Quick Attack," she called._ Please, let Father and the others come home safe, _she prayed._ Will they? _She couldn't shake some nagging feeling that something incredibly wrong was going to happen... but then again, what was there to expect? Given his team's ranking, Father was bound to come across life-threatening missions once in a while. It was the path he'd chosen, and he followed it without complaint._

"Me next! Tackle!"

The two attacks collided into each other, and Aura and Mudkip collapsed in a tangled heap, laughing.

"I just love playing Battle!" Mudkip said happily, shaking dust off of his blue, membraneous skin as he climbed to his feet. His large, paddle-shaped tail wagged joyfully. "By the way, Aurelia, do you know when your dad's coming home?"

"No..." Aura frowned. "Father's been gone for nearly two weeks now, and I haven't heard from him since..."

"Hey." Mudkip came up next to her. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure his team will come back, and everything will be okay. You'll see."

"...alright," Aura said, still half unconvinced. Inwardly she was wondering...

the two friends sat in silence for a bit longer. "Want to play Battle again?" Mudkip said, hoping to break up the tension a bit.

"Alright," Aura said, and climbed back to her paws. After all, she decided, anything was better than to just sit around worrying.

Father and the others would be fine. FINE...

--

Aura slowly swam towards consciousness. For a minute she panicked, not knowing where she was, then relaxed slightly as the events of the previous day came back to her. Her pillow was wet--she'd been crying in her sleep. But why...? Drying her eyes with the back of one paw, she sat up and looked across at Dai, still peacefully asleep. Or maybe not so peacefully--as Aura watched, the Espeon gave a small frown and nervously twitched an ear. Was she in the middle of a premonition?

Aura straightened up and looked around at the headquarters for Team Zakuro. It was quite spacious and cozy, with an exterior designed to look like an Eevee. Windows were set high above to let in the sunlight, and flowers dotted the walls and ground here and there. She looked outside--it was still dawn. Aura decided to go for an early morning run--maybe it would help jog her memory. Moving quietly so as not to wake Dai, she padded outside, and set off at a full-speed sprint once she was out on the worn dirt path.

The road was generally straight, with smaller paths joining it occasionally. Therefore, Aura was able to focus on her questions as she ran, without having to worry about turning too much. She contemplated the dream she'd had. What had that been about...? Frustratingly, all she could truly recall was that things had been peacefull then, but then had slowly started taking a turn for the worse. Villages were being attacked. Rescue teams started disappearing. Her father...(who was her father? Could she not even remember THAT??)...what had happened to Father? ...would there ever be an end to these questions? If she could just recall--

"Hey, watch-!!"

THUD.

"Ouch..." Aura suddenly found herself sprawled on paved ground. The Bannette she'd run into whipped around, his eyes flashing angrily.

"What gives?!" Bannette snapped. "Watch where you're going once in a while, why don'tcha?!"

_Uh-oh. This guy seems like trouble..._ Aura thought. "I...I apologize. It was an accident," Aura said coolly, climbing back to her feet.

"An accident??" Bannette screeched. "You run into ME, Leader of Team Darkshade, and you call it an 'accident'?? That's a good one! That's a really good one!" He gave an unnerving cackle...then scowled as he saw the uncomprehending stare on the Riolu's face.

"...who's--" Aura began.

"WHAT?!" Bannette interupted furiously. "What do you mean, you don't know who I am?! We're the team who could save your sorry hide one day, and you don't even have the decency to acknowledge it!!"

"What's up, Bannette?" The Ghost-type was approached by two other Pokemon. The smaller one appeared to be a walking rose with three spikes on the back of her head, closed eyes with thick eyelashes, a leaf on her front that resembled a tunic of some kind, and a fragrant rose on each hand. The other had long, clawed limbs wrapped in rags and a triangular body. No face was apparent--just two holes for the eyes to look out of, and small slits for nostrils. "This kid causing trouble?" the rose said in a melodious voice.

"You bet!" Bannette said to his team members, and jerked an 'arm' towards Aura. "This twerp's got some nerve! First she nearly bowls me over and doesn't apologize for it, and now she doesn't even acknowledge our name!!"

"Tsk...the nerve of children nowadays..." Roselia chided, shaking her head.

"No, wait! I DID apologize!" Aura protested, realizing that she was facing the possibility of a three-on-one battle. "And I honestly haven't even been here long enough to know who you all are!"

"Excuse me?" Hitmonlee threateningly cracked his knuckles. "Are you mouthing off to US?!"

"But--"

"Look, kid, are you gonna shut your mouth, or do we have to do it for you?!" Bannette demanded.

"Hey. Lay off."

Startled, Bannette's team whirled around to face a much larger Pokemon behind them. Standing six feet tall, the Pokemon looked very much like a humanoid hawk, covered in red feathers that shifted into orange below the knees. His taloned hands were wrapped in rags much like Hitmonlee's, only his ended just above the elbows. He had a tan (almost light orange) colored 'mane'; part of it split off into two halves, ending at elbow-length, and the rest covered his torso like a vest. On his face was a red 'mask', with a hooked beak, two four inch long spikes forming a V on his forehead, and several jagged points behind the blue, falcon-like eyes glaring out from the mask.

"A-Blaziken!!" Bannette frowned. "This isn't any of your concern! This is OUR problem to deal with!" He sounded confident as he spoke these words, but even so he backed up a few inches.

"'Not any of our concern'? Don't give us that." Another Pokemon appeared from behind Blaziken. "We saw the whole thing just now." THis Pokemon was shorter than Blaziken--about four feet tall--but he didn't look any less deadly. Fine, white fur covered his entire body except for his face, which was black. Protruding out from his elbows were small black spikes. The tail was a black, crescent-shaped blade, and there was another black crescent on the left side of his face. He glared at Bannette and his team with blood-red eyes.

"Pffft. Great," Bannette muttered crossly. "So. You two wanna help this little dog, huh? Not if I can help it. Shadow Ball!" He suddenly hurled a ball of dark energy at the ground near Blaziken and Absol's feet.

"Magical Leaf!" Roselia cried. The multi-colored leaves she produced shot into the Shadow Ball. The resulting explosion sent up a wall of smoke, and Aura coughed, trying not to choke.

"Hi Jump Kick!" a voice shouted. Some inner instinct suddenly shouted out at Aura, and she managed to dodge to the left just as Hitmonlee barreled past. The attack still managed to clip Aura's shoulder, making her wince. Then the feeling of danger was momentarily forgotten as she saw the Fighting-type crash into the ground nearby. A small laugh escaped her muzzle.

Hitmonlee quickly leapt back to his feet, his eyes blazing fury. "You just got lucky on that one!" he growled. All around them, there were sounds of a battle going on. "But THIS time, I'll be sure not to miss! Mach Punch!" He raised his fist to strike...and suddenly, a clawed hand grabbed his arm. With all the smoke lingering, Aura couldn't see who it was.

"Hey!" Hitmonlee whirled angrily to face the Pokemon. "What do you think you're doing?! Do you want to get hurt?!"

"No..." The Pokemon suddenly twisted Hitmonlee's arm behind his back in a way that must have been painful. The smoke finally cleared enough for Aura to see a Sceptile restraining the bully. "...I don't think so."

"OW!" Hitmonlee shouted. "Hey, quit it already! I give!"

"Fire Punch!"

"Yow!" Aura turned to see Bannette just barely avoiding Blaziken's fist swiping at him. He was almost immediately nailed by Absol's Slash attack--Roselia had long ago been taken out of the fight, and Absol had gone to help Blaziken.

"Rrrgh...TCH! Heck, it's nothing!" Bannette panted, sounding tired but indignant. "You just won 'cause you guys are a bit higher in level, that's all! Let's go, you guys!" he snapped at his team members, and teleported himself, Roselia, and Hitmonlee away, leaving Aura, Blaziken, Absol, and the Sceptile standing.

TBC...

--  
(sorriez for the sucky chappie. U I suck at battle scenes...)


	4. Chapter 4: The First Mission, New Power

**Wootz! The fanfic is now making its way over from Serebii! Well...okay, I'm basically just posting the chapters I have there. But STILL!! It lives! **

Ch. 4

"Are you okay, kid?" Blaziken asked. Now that the battle was over he seemed less tense, and he retracted the flames that had appeared at his wrists. "You didn't get hurt?"

"Not too badly," Aura said. "That Hitmonlee managed to clip me with a kick, but I think I'll be fine." She looked over at her shoulder and was suprised to find that the bruise had already started to fade.

"You shouldn't go messing around with that Darkshade bunch," Absol said. "Those guys are nothing but trouble."

"But what..." Aura's voice trailed off. She couldn't help but notice a long, thin scar running down Absol's side.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," Absol said calmly, and Aura felt the blood rush to her face. She hadn't realized she was staring.

The Sceptile stood off to the side, not saying anything. She was about 5 feet tall, with cool green scales, leaves protruding from her wrists and elbows, two columns of yellow spores running down her back, and a bush-like tail. Her reptilian appearance was completed by the wicked claws on her hands and feet, a triangular head, and large, amber eyes.

"So what's the deal with you?" Blaziken asked her. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"'Course not, Feather Brains," the Sceptile snapped feistily. "We're nomads. We just came to pick up supplies, so don't expect us to stick around for too long." She turned to Aura, having seemed to regain her composure. "I'm Razor. Pleasure to meet you."

"I am Aura," Aura said.

"Blaziken." Blaziken nodded curtly, miffed by the Feather Brains comment. "And this is Absol." He jerked a thumb back towards the Dark-Type.

"Bite me," Absol said boredly.

"Raze! Hey!" someone shouted in a rough voice. The four turned to see a Feraligatr waving at them from the Square. "We need you to intervene!" he called. "Jack just picked another fight with that Marowak, and Jay's having trouble breaking them up!"

"What??" Razor frowned. "Again? See you, guys," she said as she sprinted away. Aura heard her mutter, "that little pyromaniac can't just bloody stay out of trouble..." and then she was out of hearing range.

As she left Razor happened to pass Dai, who had a Toolbox slung on a strap over her shoulder. The Espeon spared a confused glance at her, then approached Aura, Blaziken, and Absol. "Hey," she greeted. "Was that...Razor?"

"Yeah. Don't ask," Blaziken muttered. "That Razor wheedwhacker is going to be incredibly lucky if I don't end up torching her smart-aleck hi--"

"...! Wait a minute." Absol suddenly turned to look at Aura. Any trace of his usually cynical attitude had disappeared. "You...you're that kid they found over at the pond, right?"

"...yes," Aura said hesitantly.

"This is Aura, you guys," Dai said. "I was telling you about her earlier." She turned to the Riolu. "I'd like to have you meet my two team members, Blaziken and Absol."

"Can you remember ANYTHING?" Blaziken asked.

"No." Aura shook her head. "Whenever I try to recall anything beyond yesterday, I keep coming up blank."

"Just like..." Blaziken fell silent. Aura got the feeling there was something he wasn't telling her.

"So what'd we get, Dai?" Absol broke in. He appeared to be pondering what Aura had just said, but was keeping up a tough front.

"Well..." Dai hesitated, then reached into the Toolbox and brought out a folded piece of parchment. "We did get a C-rank mission. There wasn't anything else, though." She shook her head. "I just don't understand. There've been an overflow of rescue missions these last few months, but we've only gotten this one mission. Nobody even has a clue what might be going on..." she fell silent for a second, then quietly said, "I...guess I better read what it says." She cleared her throat and read aloud from the letter.

"Please find Big Brother! Tedi hasn't seen him for days! Client: Tedi. Mission: Find Teddiursa. Location: Howling Forest, floor unknown. Reward:...?" Dai looked up. "It doesn't say anything about a reward. Maybe they haven't decided yet...?"

"May I see?" Aura asked. Upon receiving the mission request, she saw right away that Dai was right. The area where the reward would usually be was blank. The handwriting was clear, but yet had a childlike scrawl to it. There seemed to be an air of uncertainty about the letter...On impulse, Aura closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander.

In that moment, her mind merged with that of the client's. The thoughts and emotions were hazy, but nonetheless identifiable. Loneliness. Worry. There was also a quietly nagging thought;

_What will Tedi do if no one helps Brother?_

"Aura. Hey!" Blaziken's voice cut into her thoughts.

"Huh?" Aura blinked and snapped out of her daze. Tedi's thoughts faded away, leaving her alone in her mind.

"What happened just now?" Blaziken demanded. "You just went of into a trance all of a sudden."

"I...did?" Aura said. "...I guess I just didn't realize what I was doing." This was true--she honestly had no idea what had just happened. All she knew was that some inner instinct had risen up to take control. She looked back at the letter. "The client is incredibly worried," Aura said. "Without her brother, she definitely feels insecure...she must be very young. She's also afraid that nobody will accept her request for help."

"Yeah, yeah. What about a reward?" Absol pressed impatiently.

"Absol." Dai's ear twitched in irritation.

"...Tedi..." Aura paused, not sure how to break it to them. "She's so stressed, any thought of a reward hasn't even occured to her."

They were all silent. Aura saw the members of Team Zakuro look at each other.

"...well...I guess it is the act of helping others that counts," Dai finally said.

"Yeah." Blaziken shrugged. "I guess we can get by on this job without payment. _Right, Absol?"_ The Fire/Fighting-Type glared at Absol, daring at him to object.

"...eh, whatever," Absol growled reluctantly.

"! You really could tell all that stuff about our client, Aura?" Dai suddenly asked.

"Yes. All I can guess is that some traces of her aura were on the letter," Aura said.

"...I see." Dai's eyes closed. At the same time, Blaziken and Absol suddenly zoned out, as if concentrating on something. Aura guessed that Dai was communicating with them via telepathy.

"Aura." Dai's eyes snapped open, and the jewel on her forehead dimmed--it had been glowing. "Why don't you come with us?"

"What? Me??"

"You know how you discovered all that information about our client, Tedi, just by holding that letter?" Dai explained. "That was the gift of empathy you were demonstrating. You only need to tune in to someone's aura--life energy--and you can track anybody, whoever it may be. Their emotions. Their nature. What dreams they had two years ago...even which way they've gone."

Aura finally understood. "Oh. So you're saying I can help find Tedi's brother."

"Exactly." Dai nodded. "See? I was just about to say the same thing."

"Just stick close to us," Blaziken said. "This dungeon can be pretty rough at times. We'll help you out if you get in trouble."

"...alright," Aura said. "I'll come with you."

* * *

"This is Howling Forest??" Aura said. The bright morning sunlight was completely blocked out by the trees standing tightly clumped together. Tall grass and weeds sprouted up from the spaces in between the trees, forming a sort of wall along the untended, grassy path that faded off into the darkness. Wind whistled ominously through the trees, and every now and then an unearthly howl or shriek would reach Aura's ears.

"Whazza matter, kid?" Absol smirked. "Scared?"

"No, I just...I'm just feeling a bit nervous, is all," Aura said.

"Lucky," Dai mumbled. "I've been doing rescues here for nearly two years, and this place still just gives me the creeps."

"So, Tedi," Blaziken said. "How did your brother get lost here?"

"Brother...Brother is very brave," Tedi said quietly, and uncertainly licked her paws. The Teddiursa was just barely past infancy, and yet her vocabulary was quite precise. Standing a bit shorter than Aura, she appeared quite harmless and gentle. Her body was coated over with a soft brown fur, and she had a round face, soft brown eyes, and a tan crescent on her forehead. She also had large circular ears, bluntly clawed paws, and a round tail. These proportions were comically distorted by age, so her ears, tail, and paws were unusually large compared to the rest of her body. The child also had a habit of referring to herself in third person, and of stopping every couple sentences to lick at the caked honey on her paws. "He said he wasn't afraid of this dark forest. Brother said he'd be back soon with honey and Berries. Maybe even a Gummi..." She stopped to lick her paws again. "But brother didn't come back. Tedi called and called, but she couldn't even find a sign of him. Tedi finally had to send a letter to a rescue team..." Tedi stopped and briefly licked her paws before giving an embarassed grin. "Tedi would try to rescue Brother herself, but...Tedi is too scared."

"It's okay, Tedi," Aura said. "We understand. Why don't you go wait for us at the village? We'll be back with your brother soon, and everything will be alright."

"Thank you..." Tedi turned to leave, and then her ears suddenly perked. "Oh!" She stopped walking. "Tedi forgot to mention: Brother was wearing a funny green scarf when he left. Tedi thinks it was a Pech...no, pars...perl..."

"Persim Band?" Blaziken supplied.

"Yes, that's it!" Tedi bounced. "A Persim Band! It was made from fibers of a berry bush, so it smells a bit like a Rawst Berry, but sharper...Tedi just thought she should let Team Zakuro know. Bye." She padded away, having appeared to cheer up slightly.

"C'mon, guys," Dai said. She uneasily swallowed--Aura could tell she was trying to summon her courage--and led her team into the forest.

"That was a good thing you said back there, kiddo," Blaziken said approvingly to Aura. "Now Tedi will feel much more confident that she did the right thing."

"Well..." Aura shrugged, feeling self-conscious. "For a moment, I thought I was experiencing deja-vu. Hearing Tedi's words, it all felt somehow familiar...as if...anyways. I just thought maybe I should say something to reassure her."

"Ah." Blaziken nodded. "Gotcha."

The woods got darker the further they progressed. Dai had to walk in front so she could light the way with her forehead jewel. Aura wasn't the only one who could sense exactly how many wild Pokemon there were in the forest; they all heard the grass rustle as the occasional Poocheyena or Whismur ran through it. She guessed the only reason they hadn't been confronted yet was because they simply looked too intimidating. Absol was unaffected by the tense atmosphere; he was loping along at a relaxed gait, making black humor jokes every now and then. It was clear that he was comfortable with the Dark.

"...um, guys?" Dai said as they progressed to another area of the forest. "I--there was something I wanted to discuss with you..."

"So what's up, your Highness?" Absol said smoothly. "Go ahead and spill. We're all ears, here."

"I..." Dai's tail twitched. "I've been having visions again."

"What?!" Blaziken whirled to face her, true fear showing in his eyes.

* * *

During the first months following her evolution, Dai had been plagued by a string of increasingly violent premonitions. Some of them had even been enough to make her jolt out of sleep in a panicked sweat. They had faded away after Dai started to get more of a hold on her telekinetic abilities, but they would still pop up every now and then.

"So that's why you were all looking so stunned just now..." Aura said after Blaziken had explained all this to her."

"Yep, that pretty much sums it all up," Blaziken said tersely. "The stuff that went on in those visons hasn't actually happened yet, but we asked Alakazam about it one time, and he thinks the time may be getting close..."

"Pffft. I bet you just had too many Gummis yesterday, Dai," Absol scoffed. "What you just described sounds like a drift into Candyland, compared to what..._nobody. Move. A muscle_." The Dark Type had suddenly tensed up, listening for something. As if on cue, the other immediately came to a halt. Aura accidentally tripped and bumped into Blaziken's leg, but Blaziken made no objection. He had automatically shifted into a battle position, and the flames were blazing from his wrists once again. Dai was petrified with fear--her eyes were wide, and her ears lay flat against her skull.

"What..." Aura whispered. Absol discreetly motioned for her to be VERY quiet.

Something rustled faintly off path, and Aura's focus snapped around to lock on it. Nothing was visible, but she thought she saw the grass part slightly...

"YAAAAAAH!" Aura yelped as Absol suddenly pivoted and pounced on Dai, pinning the feline to the ground.

"Noooo!" Dai cringed, eyes clamped shut in anticipation of an attack.

"...saved your life," Absol said gleefully.

"...eh?" Dai's expression slowly changed from panic to puzzlement...then anger, as she realized she'd been tricked. "That was NOT funny!" she protested, her tail lashing as Absol moved back to let her stand.

"Oi vey, no need to get so worked up, your Regalness," Absol said, and gave a mock groan. "I just thought the conversation could use some excitement."

"Yes, well, I didn't particularly find that amusing, either!" Aura snapped. Her heart was still racing, and she was having trouble getting her fur to cooperate and lie flat. "What if we really had been attacked?! You nearly gave us all a heart attack for nothing!"

"Hey, Blade Brains! Quit messing with our minds!!" Blaziken shouted furiously.

"Heh." The smirk disappeared from Absol's face. "No, for real this time. AURA, DUCK!!"

Aura suddenly whipped around just as a black and grey, wolf-like Pokemon lunged out of the grass, fangs bared and snarling viciously.

_Where did-?! HELP!!_

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5: No Choice but to Fight!

Ch

Ch. 5

"Aura, get down!" Absol coiled his powerful hind legs, then launched himself at the Mighteyena. As Aura hastily rolled to the side, Absol's claws met the Mighteyena's side, and the wolf promptly dropped to the ground where he lay unconscious.

"That was just too close..." Absol muttered.

"Th-thank you, Absol," Aura said shakily.

"And you couldn't just WAIT to warn us about it, instead of freaking us out," Blaziken said dryly.

"Shaddup." Absol spared a glance at the unconscious Mighteyena and chuckled. "Man, what a pushover. One Slash, and he's out. I tell you!" He turned to Dai. "Well, your highness, shall we get going? If you're done being gullible and all."

"...yes." Dai promptly strode ahead, her shoulder knocking against Absol's. She was obviously indignified. _I should talk with her,_ Aura thought, and ran to catch up with Dai. Her tail momentarily snagged on a bush as she went past.

"...sheesh, she doesn't have to take it so personally," Absol said once the two Pokemon were out of range, and shook his head. "Dai never made such a big deal out of these pranks before. I swear, I'll never understand those of the opposite gender."

"Don't try, bro," Blaziken said. "I gave up long ago. C'mon, let's go catch up to them."

The remainder of the mission was somewhat tense. Dai refused to adress Absol at all (though Absol did crack quite a few puns to try and elicit a response), and Aura became more nervous as the thoughts she picked up on from wild Pokemon became more unnerving and violent. The change in surroundings didn't help, either. They were now traveling through a series of tunnels, which would occasionally open up into larger caverns. The air's moisture gathered as condensation on the ground, and took the form of large, deep puddles. As the dungeon around them shifted, so did the types of Pokemon. On one particularly terrifying encounter, Aura had tripped over a sleeping Snorlax's foot; fortunately, the glutonous Normal-type had simply rolled over and drifted back to sleep, and the team had gladly continued on their way.

"Hey, Aura. You sensing anything yet?" Blaziken asked.

"No." Aura shook her head. "Plenty of other Pokemon around here, but none of them so far were..." her voice trailed off as her eyes landed on a bright green spot on a boulder a ways away. It seemed out of place in this barren, rocky environment.

"Hold on." Aura raised a paw in a 'one sec' motion and trotted over to the spot. The patch was a green scarf, woven from a coarse fabric. _Just as Tedi said,_ she thought. "Dai!" she called. "I think I found something!"

"Yep, that's a Persim Band, alright," Dai said once she was closer. "But how do we know if it belongs to Tedi's brother?"

"Geez, Dai, you're a Psychic Type, for crying out loud," Absol said. "Couldn't you just track Teddiursa from that scarf or something?"

This may have been one comment too many.

Dai whipped around to glare angrily at him. "Yeah, I guess that WOULD be obvious, wouldn't it!?" she snapped. Blaziken and Aura both gaped at her--Dai just wan't the agressive type. "But never mind that that whole thing is just a myth! I am so sick of your thoughtless pranks and rudeness from..."

Aura tuned her out and fingered the scarf, eyes closed. Yes, there was definitely a familiar aura about it. It seemed to resemble Tedi, and yet was slightly different in some ways. Older. More adventurous.

Aura's next action was by instinct. _Teddiursa._ As she focused on Teddiursa's aura, a faintly illuminated trail snaked out from the Persim band, continuing on through the tunnels up ahead.

Now Aura knew how to find Tedi's Brother.

"This way, you guys," she called. Without waiting for a response she sprinted away. Before, they had just been wandering and looking for leads. Now that she had identified Teddiursa's aura, she was like a Growlithe on the scent. She could trace Teddiursa's exact movements, where he'd paused, which turns he'd taken.

Yes, empathy was VERY cool.

The tunnel Aura had been runnning down suddenly opened up into one final cavern, this one bigger than the rest. The floor was raked with huge cracks, allowing dense weeds and grass to poke up and through. Aura thought she could hear a very faint sniffling sound from behind a boulder...

"Hello?" she called. The sniffing automatically stopped. "Teddiursa, is that you?"

"...y...who are you?" The Pokemon shuffled around from behind the rock, his face pale and streaked with tears. He looked almost exactly like Tedi, but slightly taller and with more evenly distributed proportions. "Y-you aren't going to hurt me?" he whimpered.

"No, we're here to rescue you," Aura said comfortingly. "Your sister Tedi sent us a letter in the mail. I'm Aura. Dai and the others should be here soon." As she looked around, she belatedly wondered..._Where ARE the others?_ It then occured to her that she was lost. Shoot. _Alright, no need to worry,_ she thought to herself. _I'll just retrace my steps and join back up with Dai's team when I find them. Simple._ "Just stick close to me, and keep up," Aura said and turned to walk away.

Teddiursa's eyes suddenly widened. "Look out!!" he shouted.

"Huh?" That single word had no sooner left Aura's muzzle than a powerful fist crashed into her head. Her vision immediately exploded in fireworks, and she scrambled away, gasping for breath. _Come on, Aura, you're stronger than this!_ she screamed at herself. _Don't just scatter around like a Magikarp out of water! FOCUS!_

Aura's head cleared up enough for her to leap back to her feet and face her assailant. The Pokemon in front of her was three feet tall, with purple-gray skin, large fists, and two disc-shaped ears on its head. Probably the most remarkable feature, however, was its gaping mouth--it was stretched as wide as the length of its body.

**"YOU!"** the Loudred bellowed. **"Whadda YOU doin' here?! What, you here ta rescue dis little twerp or somesing like dat!?"**

_Ouch._ Aura gingerly rubbed her aching ears--Loudred's voice certainly was LOUD. "Well yes, as a matter of fact, that WAS my original plan," she said coolly. "If you'd kindly move aside, we'll just be on our w--"

**"GAHA! Not a chance!"** Loudred interupted, and jerked a thumb towards Tediursa. **"Dis little brat was pokin' around on MY turf, and now I'm gonna give 'im a good hide-whuppin' to teach 'im a good lesson!"** Teddiursa's eyes widened, and he stepped around behind Aura.

Aura sighed--she could see where this was heading. "Find cover," she directed to Teddiursa. The bear stared at her with wide eyes, then timidly nodded and retreated behind a nearby bush.

Loudred smirked--what was this kid thinking!? **"HAHA! You must be wishing for a world of pain, kid!!"** He shouted. **"Ah, well! Jus' don't go cryin' to nobody when I squish you, you brought dis on yourself!" **The Pokemon lunged forward, fists already outstretched to strike.

Aura coiled her legs, preparing to attack...

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6: A Victory! Happy Clients

Ch

Ch. 6  
"...guys? How many of us where there when we left?" Blaziken asked tersely.

"One, two, three...eh, four..." As Absol looked around at his TWO companions, a universal _Oh, crap_ expression came over his face.

"Aura's gone!" Dai cried. "How did we lose her?! I thought we were following right behind her!"

"She musta gotten seperated from us..." Blaziken whapped his forehead with a palm. "Shoot! How could such a small Pokemon go so fast?!"

"We have to find her!" Absol said, his voice rising with uncharacteristic seriousness. "Who knows what could happen..." With this he looked around, as if taking a guess on where Aura could've gone, and streaked away down a tunnel. Within a second he was almost out of sight.

"...have you noticed that Absol's acting sort of strange lately?" Dai asked Blaziken as they took off after him.

"What, you're saying he wasn't strange when we first met him?" Blaziken responded dryly. "But yeah, I think there's something funny about him...I can't quite place it, but I just get the feeling there's something he's hiding from us..."

"Yes." Dai was silent for a moment. "Let's hurry."

--

**"Take DIS!"** Loudred's fist whipped out, aimed to strike Aura. Almost immediately, Aura ducked to avoid the attack, and the attack hit the cracked ground.

"Counter!" Aura snapped a bladed paw forward in a punch, slamming Loudred with twice the damage of his attempted attack. Taken by surprise, the Normal type stumbled back half a step, wheezing. Half a step. Not even a FULL step. ...this was going to be a long battle.

**"...heh. Pretty good, runt!"** Loudred shouted. **"But I'm not through jus' yet!"** He suddenly opened his maw even further and cut loose with an incredibly high-pitched screech.

"OW!" Aura doubled over, jaw clenched, and raised her paws to her ears. With her sensitive hearing, the noise was almost mind-scrambling, and--needless to mention--INCREDIBLY PAINFUL!! Silence suddenly fell...or, Aura thought, her hearing suddenly malfunctioned.

**"Joo zee?"** she thought she heard Loudred shout. It was impossible to even tell which way was up in Aura's condition, let alone interpret a sentence. **"Joo cann eben dekk a Zubrzonk etteck! Wadda vimp! Wun ay now, an you won' haf to zufffer a beadien!"**

"I..." Aura struggled to her feet, still disoriented. "I won't...give up..."

**"...fff. Fie, ven!"** Loudred roared. He charged towards Aura (or it could've been at an angle...??) and snapped a kick out. Aura suddenly felt a large, blunt pain on her shoulder--she'd been hit!

"ARGH!" she cried out, stumbling crazily and nearly tripping over a fallen branch before regaining her balance. Her vision was swimming--she swerved her head blindly around, trying to make sense of her surroundings. Where had Loudred gone?!

**"Yo durn!"** Loudred's voice now came from farther away.

"Noooo!" a familiar voice cried out, panicked.

_Teddiursa!_

"D...don't touch him..!" Aura yelled, and started to run blindly. She really had no way of telling where they were, but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't let their client be harmed!

_"Focus. Employ tactics. Adaptaion is vital to win. If you are shrouded in darkness, let your other senses take over in the place of sight. If you are confused, get used to your surroundings in relation to how they appear to you. Adapt..."_

_Huh?_ Where...where had that voice come from? Aura blinked and looked forward--she had snapped out of her daze, and could now clearly see Loudred rushing towards a cowering Teddiursa.

_Go! Now!_

"Stay away from him!" Aura shouted angrily. Before she fully grasped what she was doing, she was barrelling towards Loudred in an all out sprint.

**"Eh?"** Loudred momentarily paused and turned...just in time to see Aura's paw smack into his face. **"YOW!! Grrrr..."** His face twisted in an enraged grimace, and he thrust a fist out. The punch hit!

No. Wait. He'd hit the ground again.

**"WHATHE-?!"** Loudred's eyes bugged out, serving a comical effect. In his rage, he'd failed to notice that after landing the blow, Aura had automatically leapt upwards and was now falling back towards her target, one leg outstretched in a kick.

"YAAAAAAH!!"

Loudred looked up, a blankly surprised look overcoming his features. Now he'd noticed.

"Hyahh!" The kick stabbed at Loudred's face, causing him to bend over and stumble blearily around. As Aura lightly fell to the floor, she coiled her legs against a boulder and sprang back towards him, snapping a paw forward.

"FORCE PALM!" Her paw slammed into the side of Loudred's head, blade first.

**"GYAH!"** Loudred stumbled back a few steps, wavering slightly. **"No...way...how did..."** he mumbled hazily, then pitched forward, crashing heavily to the floor. He was rendered unconscious as soon as he landed.

"...pant...and that's how it's done," Aura said. She stood staring at the passed out foe, panting slightly. Amazingly, she'd hardly even broken a sweat. She turned to Teddiursa. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Teddiursa nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you so much for saving me! I don't know how I could ever repay you..." a concerned look came over his face. "Wh-what about Tedi? My little sister? Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's fine," Aura said. "As a matter of fact, she's waiting for you back at the Square. Let's get going."

"Aura!"

Dai ran over to the two, followed closely by Blaziken and Absol. "Where did you go??" Dai asked worriedly. "What happened?? We just looked around, and you were gone..." her gaze fell on Loudred, and she yelped and shot backwards a few steps, bumping into Blaziken. "YIPE! Who-?!"

Blaziken's eyes widened slightly--considering him, this meant he was so shocked he was about to fall over. "Whoa. Aura...did YOU beat this guy?? By yourself...?"

"...yes." Aura nodded. "He was ranting about how Teddiursa had supposedly trespassed into his home. Reasoning didn't work, so I had to fight."

"I'm sorry I didn't slow down and stay with you all. I suppose I was so intent on finding the client, it didn't occur to me that I was being led away. It was my fault, really."

"Ah, c'mon, don't talk like that," Blaziken said. "It ended up being for the better. You got here in time to keep that jerk from whupping Teddiursa, so no complaints. _Kapische?_"

"Just stay close from now on," Absol growled in a resigned voice. "You're no good gone."

"Absol." Dai's ear twitched in slight annoyance; however, she'd seemed to have gotten over her shunning spell.

"You dropped this a while back..." Aura bent down to pick up the Persim Band from the rocky ground--amidst the battle, she'd forgotten she'd even brought it to the room.

"Thanks." Teddiursa lifted it and tied it behind his neck, then looked up to gaze admiringly at Team Zakuro. "Thank you all for everything, really."

"Not a problem," Dai said cheerfully. "Tedi's pretty worried, though. Let's get back to the Square and let her know you're alright."

"Okay!"

--

"B...Brother!" Tedi's eyes teared up, and she rushed forward to wrap Teddiursa in hug. "You're safe! Tedi was so worried, she didn't know what to do when you didn't come back..."

"It's okay, Tedi," Teddiursa said. "I'm okay. It's all thanks to Dai and Aura's team. If they hadn't been there, I probably would've been mincemeat by now." At Tedi's horrified reaction he hastily added, "Eh-j-just joking! Ahaha..."

"I'm just glad you guys are okay," Dai said happily. The fading evening sunlight made her fur look almost silver, granting her a mystical look. "That's enough for me."

They had reunited with Tedi in front of the bulletin board at the post office. A few other teams lingered around, ready to return to their homes after a day's work.

"...uh? ...Oh, no..." Tedi's expression fell startlingly fast. "Tedi forgot about a reward...Tedi is so sorry. She doesn't have any money, and she was so worried..."

"No no, it's alright," Aura said. "We don't need a reward." She noticed that Absol had said nothing but stood staring off into the distance. He didn't particularly seem happy about the prospect of no payment, but at least he hadn't made a huge issue about it.

"But we need to thank you somehow..." Teddiursa slowly licked his paws and perused this new development, then suddenly brightened, his ears perking. "I know! I found these back in the woods, but I think you could use them more." He shuffled forward, clasping something in his paw. "Here. Take these. It's not much, but it's our way of saying thanks." He opened his paw, revealing an Oran berry and two seeds. One of the seeds was much larger than the other (about two inches across) and was colored a deep mahogany color, while the other was about a centimeter big and pale yellow.

"...what's this?" Aura asked, taking the reward. She noted (though without complaint) that the seeds seemed to be slightly tacky with honey. Teddiursa must have been carrying them for a while.

"They're some seeds I found while exploring," Teddiursa explained. "I'd already messed around with a few of them before. All I really know is that the small one makes you stronger, and the big one...I don't know what that does. Ehe..." He laughed nervously, then focused all his attention on licking the honey off his paws.

"It's a Reviver Seed," Dai explained. "If you faint in the middle of a battle, it'll revive you or another fallen comrade. The other one's a Joy seed, which increased your level by 1."

"Yes, that's what I meant," Teddiursa said sheepishly. "I didn't know how else to put it...but anyways, thanks so much!"

"Tedi is also grateful!" Tedi piped up, her eyes sparkling. "Tedi's decided that she wants to be strong like Team Zakuro someday!"

"Haha! Sounds great!" Blaziken laughed. "Don't give up!"

"Bye, you guys," Dai said. "Be careful on your way home."

"Bye!" Teddiursa waved cheerfully and padded away, followed by Tedi, who was lightly lapping honey off of her paw pads and humming happily to herself.

"...they sure seem happy," Aura commented.

"And why not?" Dai had gotten a misty look, a gentle smile on her face. "It's been days since Teddiursa disappeared, and now they get to see each other again. Seeing how happy other Pokemon can be, how they can go about their days or sleep at night without any worries...it's what keeps me motivated. It's just so..._cool_," she finished, slightly embarassed at her lack of a better word.

"Geez." Absol rolled his eyes. "Another sentimental slogan from the Dai-meister. You know you're just one big Clefable at heart. You're wearing a Friend Bow under that Pecha Scarf, aren't you? Confess."

At this the group burst into laughter. Then they quieted down and stared at each other.

"...eh...sorry 'bout that prank back there, Dai." Absol rubbed a paw along the back of his head, staring embarassedly down at the ground. Obviously he wasn't used to humble apologies. "Really was thoughtless, I guess."

"...well...I guess I did take it a bit far," Dai said. "Maybe I just overreacted. Truce?"

"...alright, then. White flag." Absol smiled, for once not cynical, and then the trademark smirk returned. "See? You do care, after all."

"Huh?" Dai looked blankly at him.

"C'mon, you know you want me to stick around 'cause of the way you feel about me," Absol teased. "Admit it."

"...oh." Dai finally understood. "Well, yes. You're a great help to us; you're a natural fighter--"

"Nope, not it!" Absol said gleefully. This earned a confused look from the Espeon that made even Blaziken chuckle. Aura guessed that he couldn't help jumping in.

"Eh, quit running rings around poor Dai, Abby," Blaziken said, grinning. "We both know she can't stand to let a couple good-looking guys like us out of her sight."

"What?! NO!" Dai flustered, and nearly tripped over a pebble. "What are you talking about?!"

"They're joking, Dai," Aura said.

"...oh. I...I knew that."

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7: First Glimpse of the Turmoil

Ch

Ch. 7

_…where...am i?_ he wondered off-handedly. The tunnel Jay was in seemed to never end. It was dimly lit by an unseen light source, and pressed around him so the walls and ceiling where mere inches away from his sides. Being a Trapinch, Jay would've felt right at home here, had he known where he was.

A circle of light finally appeared at the end. _Oh, good,_ Jay thought. Here's the exit. He eagerly started walking even faster, then stopped. Something had just occurred to him. _Wait…is this…the road to the afterlife?_ The part Psychic Delta Species thought it over, then shrugged. _I guess I can always wake back up if I don't go all the way into the light._ Curious as always, he carefully stepped forward, blinking as his eyes met a change in brightness.

"Oh, honestly, Jay," a voice laughed, sounding like gently chiming bells. "You don't need to hesitate. Please, proceed forward."

"Um…" Jay thought this over. "Okay."

The tunnel widened out into a colossal cavern, shrouded by shadows. A single ray of light shone down through an opening in the ceiling, almost seeming to pulse with a rhythmic breathing motion as dust swirled within.

"…where is this place?" Jay wondered out loud. He felt as if he'd been here before…

"So you have," that melodious voice said again. "It's just been a long time, is all." The light dimmed slightly, and took form. From it materialized a small Pokemon that resembled a green, fairy-like insect. Her top half was a cool musty green that ended at midtorso in a V-shape, and changed to darker green below. The back of her head swept upward at a gentle angle, and she had two antennae tipped with blue, and large blue expressive eyes rimmed on the outside with black.

"Hello, Jay," the Pokemon greeted.

"…who are you?" Jay asked. He didn't think he'd seen this Pokemon before…had he?

"Me?" The Pokemon smiled. "My name….is Celebii."

"…Celebii…okay." Jay nodded and looked around, his eyes unable to penetrate the darkness. "Where are we, anyways?"

"Like I said, you've been here plenty of times before, Jay," Celebii said. "I thought it would be easier to communicate with you through a place you were familiar with." The shadows suddenly disappeared, and Jay's eyes widened in startled recognition.

This was the central area of Dad's team base.

The cavern had been neatly hewn out of the rock in the mountainside, and though it was void of furnishings or decoration of any kind there was still an awe-inspiring sense of formality about it. From the room spawned a complex network of tunnels and stairs leading to the rest of the headquarters, and a large stone platform lay in the middle of the room. Everything was virtually untouched, despite the long period of time it had seen.

"Wh….this…" Jay stuttered.

"The time has arrived, Jay," Celebii said. "Fate has taken a new turn. You and the two other prophesized heroes must meet and stay together. You MUST stay alive; if one of you falls, the world will surely meet an end."

Jay nearly stopped breathing. Hero? HIM?? And what about…. "But who..?" he began, then yelped as an icy feeling crept down his shell.

"YAHAH!!" Jay bolted upright, now wide awake and breathing rapidly. The dream had ended; Celebii and the team base had disappeared, and he was back in his snow-filled burrow at Furnace Desert…

Wait. SNOW??

_But it's the middle of summer…_ Jay climbed to his feet, still kind of groggy with sleep, and shook the clump of snow off of his shell. Any questions about the off-beat weather would have to wait; right now, his main priority was figuring out the dream.

_Prophesized heroes, huh..? _Jay wondered as he crawled up out of his den. The normally arid desert he called home was covered in at least 3 iches of snow. He shivered slightly at the drop in temperature. Celebii had said the world was in danger…what did she mean by that? Another falling star? And what was he and these two other Pokemon (whoever they were) supposed to do about it..?

Maybe he'd ask Alakazam to help him figure it out once he got to the Square. Or maybe even Razor, if the clan hadn't left yet. Jay started walking down the road to the main village.

By now, the snow was 4 inches deep, and still falling.

Aura was slowly dragged out of sleep by a scuffling sound outside. Suddenly alert, she got up and looked around. Dai was gone…maybe she had left?

WHUMPF.

There was that noise again…..somebody was definitely outside. Aura cautiously stepped over to the door and looked outside.

A thick blanket of snow was coating the landscape nearby, and still falling steadily. Despite the rate at which the snow was coming, there was still a jumble of messy footprints evident in the snow. They couldn't possibly belong to Dai…unless she'd been in a struggle. Feeling an escalating sense of fear, Aura stepped further out of the team base.

"BONZAI!!" Startled, she looked up to see a tan and yellow blur rocket over her head. The Raichu curled into a ball, cackling manically, and plummeted into a snowbank. A large wave of snow was thrown up on Aura.

"WAH!!" _What the-?! _Aura thought. Was she under attack?!

The Raichu popped her head out of the snow two seconds later. "Holy Kazoo, that was cool!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Did you see that?! It was just, like, sailing through the air, and then BAM!! I'm gonna do that again!!" She kicked her way out of the snowdrift, emerging completely covered in white; the Abominable Snowchu! Aura almost giggle at the thought.

"Huh? Wait." A blank look suddenly overcame Raichu's cheerful expression. "You're…Aura, right?"

"…yes," Aura said warily.

"SWEET!!" Raichu bounced. "I knew it was you! Dai's over at the Square, she sent me to get you."

"What for?"

"Dude, how am I supposed to know?" Raichu shrugged, still grinning crazily. "I guess there was something she wanted to tell you. So let's go already." She started to lope off in the other direction, then suddenly froze, wide-eyed. "Eh..."

"What? What is it?" Aura asked nervously.

"O...OMIGOD!!" Raichu exclaimed.

"Who? What?" Aura whirled to see...nobody.

"..PSYCHE!" Raichu lightly whapped her on the head with her tail and darted away. "You're it! Can't catch me!" Aura followed her from behind, still ruefully rubbing her head. This Pokemon was just flat out HYPER. She didn't think she'd ever known anybody so...bubbly.

"So you're a friend of Dai's, then?" Aura asked once she'd caught up to the Electric type.

"Yup." Raichu nodded and slowed to a walk. "I've known her since she and Blaziken first joined the whole rescue team business. 'Course, back then it was Dai, Torchic, and Squirtle. It wasn't until a year or whatnot later that Squirtle left to, like, travel the globe or somethingorother, and Absol joined. But anyways, yeah, Dai's pretty cool. Y'know, for a human and all."

"Huh?" Aura stopped walking. "You just said...could you run that by me again?"

"Sure. I've known her since--"

"No, that last sentence," Aura said. "About Dai being...what did you say she was?"

"A human." Raichu suddenly stopped and stared wide-eyed at her. "Y'mean you honestly didn't know??"

"Well, considering I just woke up with a case of amnesia..." Aura resumed walking.

"Oh...oh, right. Sorry." Raichu sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "But, yeah. Even Torchic didn't believe her at first. To tell the truth, we thought she must have been delirious. Until they went on the run. Long story, ask Dai to tell it to you sometime. Something to do with a Gardevoir, and a Pokemon called...Ninetails? Anyways. Turns out she came to save this world from a falling star that was about to crash into us. We thought we'd lost her afterwards..." Raichu fell silent, an oddly solemn look of remembrance overshadowing her previously cheerful expression. "But, then she came back. That was a happy time."

"...I see," Aura said quietly. She hadn't even come to question Dai's past.

"It's cool and all that Dai's on a team and all," Raichu continued. "I can support that. But personally, I'd much rather stay home, where I know things better. Live life to the fullest." An impish look stole into her eyes. " 'Cause Tom's a piece of grass, but he's CUTE! And I think he likes me!" She finished this off with an insane giggle, and Aura blinked. Here she'd been starting to think Raichu was actually capable of acting normal for at least two minutes. Goes to show you.

"Hey, all!" Raichu greeted as she and Aura approached the crowd grouped together near the Bulletin Board. "Zappychu has arri...uhh...oops." She fell silent as the tension in the air reached them. Dai, Blaziken, and Absol were standing there, along with Alakazam, Charizard, Tyranitar, Razor--who was gnashing furiously at some sort of reed--, and two Pokemon Aura hadn't yet met; a Trapinch, and a Charmeleon.

"Hey." The Trapinch raised a forelimb in greeting. Razor merely nodded and continued gnawing at her reed.

"She always gets her appetite worked up when something big's going down," the Charmeleon whispered. "Don't ask."

"...why is everyone so quiet?" Aura asked.

Blaziken held out the newspaper clip he'd been holding. "Read it," he pressed.

Rescuers Gone Missing!  
With the recent discovery of the coastal dungeon, Delta Pass, there has also come an ominous thread of occurences. Located in the south-east, the climate in Delta Pass has allowed several species of Pokemon to stake claim to the area as home. However, despite the tranquil air about it, Delta Pass may be hiding some sinister secrets.  
Scholars have confirmed that this is the exact dungeon where Lucario's team went missing towards the end of their legacy. Almost immediately after this information was released several rescue teams departed to the Pass, some in hopes of exploring further into the mountainous valley, and others intending to return with treasures. As of yet, none have returned.  
The following rescue teams have been pronounced missing in action (ordered by Rank from lowest to highest) :  
--Shifty  
--Meanies  
--Hyuta  
--Rumblerock  
--Hydro  
--Eleflor  
--Dawn  
--Ragepointe  
--Sea Dragons  
--Lunicae  
--Elementgem

"...this is terrible..." Aura looked up from the article. "Do we have any idea about what could be causing this?"

Nobody spoke up. Feeling a crushing sense of anti-climax, Aura looked back down to finish reading the article.

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Gold-rank Team Zakuro has volunteered to investigate into the matter. Very little is known about the dungeon, and thus the Rescue Team Organization is strongly urging all remaining teams to avoid the Delta Pass area. We can only hope that Zakuro will return safely..."END

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8: No Need to Stress

**Here it is! A quick thank you to Shadow the Invisible Hero for reviewing! **

Ch. 8  
"Gold Rank Team Zakuro has volunteered to investigate the disappearances."

Aura read the sentence over several times, the words having a bigger and bigger impact. Dai was going to Delta Pass? But all the other teams who'd gone there hadn't come back! This was a joke. This had to be a sick, twisted joke. Any moment now, Absol would clap a paw down on her shoulder and yell, "Psyche! Gotcha!" …

"…Dai?" Aura looked up from the article, half-afraid of what she was going to hear.

Dai was staring down at her front paws. "…it was the only thing to do, Aura," she said, her words quiet and hesitant. "Everybody who's still here either already has missions to worry about or flat out wouldn't dream of going near Delta Pass, and…somebody needs to get to the bottom of this."

The Charmeleon shook his head. "Look, this is just insane."

"Jack, we are NOT going to debate this." Razor's jaws clenched, her fangs gouging little nicks into her reed.

"Just try to shut me up!" Jack said challengingly. "This is plain old nuts!" Everybody was staring now, but he kept ranting anyways. "I mean, how the heck is Dai's team supposed to be able to walk in and out of that place when even that ElementGem bunch is gone?! It's suicide! And I thought _Shinbashi_ was crazy!"

"That's **ENOUGH**!" Razor sharply rapped Jack on the back of his head, earning a reproachful glare from her apprentice. The Trapinch was looking sideways at him, as if he thought Jack was a coward.

"Yes, the situation is dangerous," Alakazam told Jack. "In some cases, it would certainly be best to wait for the missing team to return. However, it is of utmost importance that we look further into this particular matter. Dai's team has accepted this duty—and the risks—so we may find a way to help these teams and prevent this from happening again."

"But you know, Fireball kind of has a point. In a way," Blaziken said. At everybody's questioning looks he continued, "It just doesn't make sense. Not all the teams are as helpless as you'd think. Team Ragepointe, for example. Okay, so they're not as tough as Angel and the rest of ElementGem, sure—" he shrugged. "—but even so, they have enough field experience to not just get lost easily as that."

"And even considering the weaker teams, there are so many Pokemon in that dungeon," Charizard pointed out. "Some of them are bound to meet after a while. It seems suspicious that they wouldn't have been able to band together and come back by now."

"Exactly my thoughts." Tyranitar nodded in agreement. "Something is definitely going on here."

As Aura listened to the conversation, a nagging feeling of foreboding was planted in the back of her mind. What if Dai, Blaziken, and Absol didn't come back? Her imagination suddenly conjured up an image of Dai crumpled lifelessly on the ground, fur bloody and—

She shuddered and quickly shut that thought down.

"Yes…we'll just have to do what we can." Dai looked up, fear evident in her own eyes. "…this dungeon is too dangerous. Don't try to rescue us if we don't come back. If that happens, the Rescue Team Organization will know to blacklist Delta Pass as a restricted dungeon."

Next to Aura, Raichu's eyes widened in horrified disbelief. "But Dai—" she started to protest.

"PROMISE me you won't," Dai interrupted.

Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Then Raichu sighed reluctantly, tail and ears sagging defeatedly. "…'kay. I promise."

Alakazam nodded. "You have our word."

"I speak for the whole clan when I agree." Razor glared pointedly at Jack. "The ENTIRE clan."

The Trapinch just nodded.

"Aura?" Dai looked expectantly at Aura.

Aura found she couldn't bring herself to speak. Once she made the pact, she wouldn't be able to turn back on her promise, even if it meant losing Dai or Blaziken or Absol. She couldn't do it…she couldn't!

"…good luck," she whispered. It was the closest she could bring herself to actually comply.

Dai was silent. Then she finally nodded. "…I guess we'd better get ready, then." She padded over to Aura and brushed her tail against her shoulder. "Bye, kiddo Stay out of trouble." With one last uncertain glance back, she started back towards the Square, followed by Absol and Blaziken. Without another word, Razor swallowed down the last of her reed and set off in a different direction. As Alakazam and his team walked off, Aura sighed and started jogging along the length of the cliff behind the Post Office.

"You look glum, kiddo." Raichu and the Trapinch popped up next to her.

"I just…" Aura shook her head and slowed down so they could keep up with her. "I'm worried about the entire situation."

"Oh, they'll come back," the Trapinch said calmly. He was about half a foot shorter than Aura, and basically resembled a large ant with four stubby legs, a shelled body with white on the rim, and a large, round head with sharp, subtle fangs that looked as if they could easily crush rocks. His entire body was a reddish-brown clay color, and he had small blue eyes. "I don't know how or when, but I know for a fact that they'll come back to Pokemon Square in the end."

Aura warily regarded him. "You seem rather confident in what you say."

"Yep." He nodded. "That's 'cause I can tell the future. I'm part Psychic-type. A Delta Species."

Aura and Raichu blinked, stunned. Somewhere in Aura's mind, a slight feeling of warning popped up. She decided it wasn't urgent enough to worry about right away.

"I'm Jay." The Trapinch held out a forelimb in friendly greeting. "Nice to meetcha."

"Likewise." Aura shook his paw. "I am Aura, and this is Raichu."

"So, like, are you another member of Razor's clan?" Raichu asked.

"Well, nope, not exactly," Jay said. "I just came across them when I was on my way home, so I thought I might as well go with them. Safety in numbers, y'know. At least until I arrived back here…um, don't look up." He closed his eyes, as if concentrating, and started emanating a strange, blue glow.

"What?" Aura turned to see Jack hovering in midair behind them.

"HEY!!" he protested violently. "Dude, put me down!"

"Sure." Jay shrugged and opened his eyes again. As Jack was lowered back to the ground, the glow disappeared. The Charmeleon was maybe the same height as Raichu, an orange-skinned bipedal lizard with blue eyes, a short spike jutting out of the back of his head, and a tail that even now had a flame burning at the end.

"Feeling a little caught up in the moment, are we now?" Raichu joked.

Jack shot her an ill-tempered glare before facing Jay. "Scared you, didn't I?"

"Yeah right, Jack." Jay rolled his eyes tolerably.

"I sensed you coming approximately six seconds before Jay caught you," Aura informed him.

"I sensed his presence TWENTY seconds ago, and HEARD him TWELVE seconds ago," Jay countered.

"You did not," Aura argued.

"Hey! I did, too!"

"No, you did n…" Aura caught herself mid-sentence. Only a few minutes since she'd met Jay, and they were already bickering like old friends. For some reason the thought made her laugh.

"What's so funny?" Raichu asked, curious. This made Aura laugh even harder; she could only shake her head in response. When she finally calmed down enough to start breathing normally again, she realized that Jay, Raichu, and Jack were giving her strange looks. The way Raichu had her head tilted, with one eyebrow raised, one might actually be able to think she was the normal one, and it was Aura who was crazy.

"…sorry," Aura apologized.

"…anyways, isn't it weird that we have all this snow all of a sudden?" Raichu said, as if attempting to divert the topic. "I mean, it was really sunny and everything yesterday."

"Yeah, last time I checked it was still June," Jack said dryly.

"Would you believe me if I told you it was snowing even at Furnace Desert?" Jay paused to shake a bit of snow out of his shell. "Trust me, I would know."

"It might even be that whole falling star disaster all over again…"

"What if that's what's happening?" Aura asked worriedly. "What are we going to do?"

The others turned to exchange uncertain glances.

"…'we'?" she heard Jack question.

"…this doesn't worry you at all??" Aura asked, bewildered. "But this could impact all of our lives! We could all be in danger right now!"

"Hey, I didn't say anything like that," Jay said. "If I could, I'd be devoting myself to trying to find a way to make everything better. I would be, too, but…I don't know where to start," he finished sheepishly.

"Yeah, and…it—it was really Dai and Torchic—I mean, Dai and Blaziken who saved us the last time," Raichu said, twitching her ears uncertainly. "I wouldn't have a clue how to save the world. I mean, I'm not exactly 'hero' material, if you know what I mean." She gave a nervous laugh.

"Exactly," Jack said, stomping forward with crossed arms. "In the meantime, I plan on enjoying life to the fullest, while I still can."

Aura started to argue, then decided that it would be best to remain silent and not throw fuel on the fire. Judging by the downcast expression on everybody's faces, she'd already put quite a dampener on things. She stopped to look up at the sky, feeling the cold wind blow across her face. It suddenly occurred to her how pretty everything looked in the snow, how peacefully quiet the town was, how the snowflakes twirled and danced in their floating descent to the ground…

Live life to the fullest, Jack had said. Don't stress out about things you don't know how to handle.

Maybe they had the right idea.

"Raichu!"

"Huh?" Raichu looked up in time to have a small, neat snowball smack her in the face.

"Snow Battle!" Aura announced. "Winner gets a week's supply of Gummis!"

Raichu beamed. "Yeah?? Bring it on! I'll cream ya!" She scooped a handful of the snow off of her face and lobbed a somewhat less perfect snowball at Aura. The Riolu ducked, and it hit Jack in the shoulder.

"Hey! Watch it!" Jack lashed his tail, sending up miniature waves of snow.

Jay shook his head and sighed. "You guys are SO immature." He then grinned impishly. "Incoming!" Without warning, one of the trees nearby whiplashed back and forth, dumping a load of snow on the three Pokemon and causing them to squeal like children. For nearly two hours afterwards, the air was filled with nothing but flying snow.

"You did an underhand throw! No point! No point!"

"Pokemon with the letter 'R' in their name automatically get three points for each hit!"

"That shot doesn't count! It was a faulty snowball! I demand a redo!"

"Six and three quarters of a point on me!"

"10 points if you hit the hyper Static mouse!"

"HEY!!"

"What?? It counts!"

In the end, the total score was 19½ to 19½. No losers. Game called on account of soaked fur.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9: Runin with an Old 'Friend'

Ch. 9  
The ocean seemed to be set ablaze as the sun sank. The wind gently blew on the great body of water, causing the reflected light to dance and sparkle across its surface. The sky itself was flat out amazing, a thin streak of orange that eventually faded out to a deep indigo. A beautiful sight-you didn't get that much anymore, giving the past two years. What an irony. It was just a feeble distraction from the harsh truth of the rest of everyday life.

A mystical creature, resembling a cross between a large feline and a dragon-delicate, yet with a mysterious strength apparent-, sat perched on the rock protrusion, staring out at the sea. Dark feathered wings stretched out and resting, the only movement was her bladed tail twitching and the wind blowing through her fur, frills, and wing feathers. She didn't blink once, an odd yellow glow in her eyes, and a more brilliant illumination in the teardrop-shaped jewel on her forehead-whenever the creature was having a premonition, such as now, she always went off into a trance, oblivious to all. Even the sounds a ways behind her of the village quieting down had no effect.

Suddenly, the jewel dimmed, her eyes resumed their usual deep-indigo appearance, and she seemed to come back down to earth. Turning her head to the west, as if sensing something, she took to flight, streaking silently and majestically through the evening sky.

Change had come. It was time to return to her home domain.

--

Even with the cloud of worry settling, things were oddly peaceful back at the Square.

To Aura, it seemed that many Pokemon were purposefully keeping busy to keep their minds off of the danger Dai was rushing headlong into. Several of the younger Pokemon took advantage of the unexpected snow to romp and have some fun, whereas some of the rescue team members who were more adjusted to warm climates took a few weeks of reprieve to wait out the conditions. This was just rumored to be another phenomenon, and the expectancy was for it to end by the conclusion of the month.

Aura had devoted her time to sparring at the dojo, a large multi-level building located south at the crest of a waterfall. This soon became a fixed part of her agenda, and she would occasionally partner up with Jay or even Jack, if Aura was feeling tolerable, to take on some of the tougher rooms. It wasn't very long until a close-knit friendship was created between the three.

There weren't any more flashbacks into her past, however.

"Aura! Hey!"

Aura looked over one morning to see one of the more familiar Pokemon waving her over. The Kecleon could have easily passed for a bipedal chameleon, with a large curled tail, squat clawed limbs, and a tri-pointed crest behind each eye. A single red zigzag pattern also ran across his belly-one of the only traits he shared with his older brother, who ran the majority of the shop; his part of the business ran around selling TM's--Technical Machines, capable of teaching moves to Pokemon--and Orbs. A difference was that whereas his brother was green, this Kecleon had purple scales. Unusual coloration amongst his species.

"Yes?" Aura called back.

"Can I ask a favor of you really quick?" Kecleon asked, waddling over to her. "It'll only take a few minutes of your time. I just added some new TM's to my stock, and I need somebody to help test them out."

"Alright." Aura shrugged and followed the lizard to the shop, a small red-roofed hut with an open front. About four boxes lay opened in the back of the small room, and she caught the faint gleam of sunlight off of metal.

"Okay, lemme find them. Just a second." Kecleon reached over into one of the boxes and rooted around for a bit, finally bringing out a slightly purple tinted TM disc. Frowning, he shook his head and started digging through the box again. "Wait! I've got it!" he cried in triumph, and held up a stack of orange TMs.

"It's a Brick Break TM," he explained to Aura upon seeing her curiosity. "What it does is...well, you'll see for yourself. Come on, we'd better take this outside. More room."

About two minutes later, Aura and Kecleon were standing out in the stretch of grass behind the shop. "Here." Kecleon handed her a TM.

Aura held the disc in her paws, staring cluelessly at her. She couldn't remember having used one of these. "..what do I do?" She looked up questioningly at Kecleon.

"It works automatically," Kecleon said. "Normally all you have to do is slide this switch here--" he pointed. "--and the knowledge will immediately lodge itself into your memory. TM's can only be used once, though, and then they break. What I do instead to test them out is to just focus on the move inside without physically doing anything to it. You'll know how to use the attack while you're holding it, but then once you stop it fades away again, leaving the TM in sellable condition." He paused to catch his breath for a second. "You get all that?"

"Um. Yes, and no," Aura admitted. She had trouble focusing on Kecleon's rambling speech.

"Never mind." Kecleon shook his head, seeming partially flustered with himself. "Just hold on to it. The attack should come to you soon."

"Okay...?" Aura noticed in the last bit of his lecture, Kecleon had hesitated before choosing the term 'sellable'. From what she'd heard everybody say no faults had arisen with the Kecleon's merchandise, but she still couldn't help but wonder...she shrugged it off and stared at the TM in her paws. For a few seconds nothing happened, and then something stirred in the back of her mind. Before she could ponder further, something clicked, and she had an idea. She turned. A boulder lay at the edge of the clearing, weathered from time and the elements.

A perfect target.

"Brick Break!" Aura darted forward and punched a rigid paw at the boulder. Upon impact, the rock impressively crumbled and split into several pieces, leaving only a rough quarter of the original standing. She suddenly realized what she had just done--in her place, most Pokemon without that move would probably have broken their hand.

"Yes!" Kecleon cried. "Yes, amazing!" He clapped his hands together approvingly. "Thanks for your help," he said as he walked back over to take the TM from Aura.

Aura shrugged, slightly disappointed as the details required for the Brick Break technique faded from her mind. It had been such a powerful attack; she would have liked to remember it. "It was no problem," she said. "I'm glad I could help." Although, she really didn't have a clear idea of exactly what she had done to confirm Kecleon's choice.

"But I need to thank you...hmm." Kecleon's expression suddenly brightened, and he snapped the claws on one hand. "I know! Here." He held the Brick Break TM out towards Aura. "Go ahead and take it," he said, interupting the Riolu before she could decline. "I've still got tons of those in stock. One won't be a terrible loss. Besides, I think you'll be able to make good use of it."

"...thanks," Aura said, concealing her joy at the gift. She looked down at the TM and then headed back out towards the Square. "Happy to help anytime," she said.

"Sure thing!" Kecleon went back inside the shop and started unloading the TMs from their boxes onto the shelves.

A grin finally escaped onto Aura's face. What a stroke of luck! She chuckled silently to herself, tucking the TM under her arm.

"BOO!"

"Hello, Jack." Aura calmly turned to face the Charmelon, who was staring disappointedly at her.

"Why didn't you jump?" he asked.

"Your approach wasn't exactly quiet," Jay pointed out as he walked up next to the two. "You wouldn't even NEED psychokinesis to know you were coming."

"Yeah, but I could still kick your butt in a fight," Jack muttered. "If I felt like it."

Aura laughed. "Did Jay beat you in a sparring session again?" she asked.

"It didn't count. I tripped." Jack hastily changed the subject. "Been shopping?" he questioned, motioning to the TM Aura was holding.

"Not really." Aura held up the TM for them to see. "I was helping Kecleon test out his new wares. He gave me this in return for my help."

"Kecleon, huh?" Jay said. "Well, it's not my place, but I'd be careful about that guy if I were you."

Aura stared blankly at him. "What do you mean?" from what she'd just seen, Kecleon seemed to be a fairly honest shop owner.

"Well, nobody really trusts him," Jay said. "Everybody's suspicious about exactly where he gets his merchandise. His brother says he wouldn't get free items in a dungeon and try to sell them, but--"

A scream suddenly pierced the air.

_That sounded like Tedi!!_ Aura thought in alarmed recognition. She had automatically identified the voice of the scream.

"Come on!" Aura whipped around and set off on a full-speed sprint towards the source of the commotion. She reached the outskirts of Pokemon Square just in time to see Tedi run past.

"Help!" Tedi whimpered and ducked down behind Jay. The Trapinch sent a questioning glance at Aura.

"She was one of Dai's clients," she quickly explained. "Before they left. I went with them to help find her brother."

"Hey! Not you brats again!"

Bannette floated over to the group, scowling ferociously. "What are YOU guys doing here?" he spat. "Couldn't just find a rock to go crawl under?"

"We'll leave as soon as you stop scaring the poor girl senseless!" Aura shouted angrily. "What did she ever do to you?!"

"This grammar-stunted furball thoughtlessly bowled into me," Bannette hissed. "And didn't apologize. She been hanging out with you, brat?"

"N-no!" Tedi managed to stammer. "T-Tedi was walking, and h-he just attacked Tedi out of nowhere--"

"SHUT UP!!" Bannette shouted. Tedi quailed, throwing her paws over her head.

Jay glared furiously at the Ghost. "You're just a flat-out jerk," he said. "Tedi didn't do anything to you--you're just making it all up."

"Back off," Jack said, walking up to stand next to Jay and folding his arms, "or we'll be forced to bring the pain." A few seconds passed, then he looked at Aura. "Right?" he said tentatively.

Aura's throat closed. Why was she the leader all of a sudden??

"Keep telling yourself that, why don't you?" Bannette looked bored now. "This should be easy. Now that I'm prepared. Dark Pulse!" His eyes flashed, and a rippling wave of shadow suddenly rocketed out to hit Jay in the side.

"Ow!" Jay skidded back a few feet, scrabbling frantically to keep on his feet.

"We warned you!" Aura shouted, and charged at Bannette. "Force Palm!"

Her paw snapped outwards, palm first. The usual routine. However, her attack never even connected; Bannette had simply dissolved into a black mist.

"Open your eyes, you stinking mutt!" Bannette's voice cackled mockingly as he rematerialized. "You can try slapping all you want, but slapping and punching won't hurt ghosts!"

_You stinking mutt!_

Aura made some sort of choking sound. A new rage had opened in her mind. A Mutt, Bannette had called her! Her mind melted into a seething cauldron of fury.

He had just made a very big mistake.

"Oh, yeah!? And you're a maniac sock puppet!" Jack snapped his jaws open, spewing a thin lancing bolt of flames at Bannette's back.

"Hey!" Bannette teleported, reappearing behind Jack and Jay. "You're gonna pay for that, twerp!" he screeched. "Shadow--"

"STOP!!"

--

Before the last half of the phrase had even left his mouth, Bannette froze, as if paralyzed.

No. It wasn't just the ghost that had stopped, Jay realized. _Everything was frozen, even time itself._ Even the snow had stopped falling, making it seem as if they were inside a painting. Entranced, Tedi climbed to her feet, face still wet with tears, and gently poked a claw at a suspended snowflake.

Why hadn't the four of them stopped? He, Tedi, Jack, and Aura were still moving freely.

"What the heck is this?" Jack muttered, coming up to Jay.

Jay shook his head. "Don't ask me. I've never heard of this before."

"I..." Jay turned to see Aura staring blankly ahead. She now looked greatly alarmed, eyes wide in shock, and was shaking slightly.

"I think it's me."

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10: I think it's me

**(WARNING ABOUT THIS CHAPTER: This is where the PG-13 business launches off. Just a note. ...I guess you could say that there's an element of gothic fiction from this point on. So please forgive for violence, but I'll try to keep the graphics to a minimum.)**

**Also BTW, _italics and underlined_ is either a flashback or a premonition. Not anything that's actually happening at the moment. Just thought I should explain for all the confusion that happens around the middle of the chapter.  
**  
Ch. 10  
"What?" Jack's eyes narrowed. "What are you...what is this?"

BTW, stuff that's in

"Don't...don't know." Aura actually sounded a little freaked herself. All the while she had started unconsciously backing up, shaking. Jay was about to ask if she was okay when his breath caught in his throat.

Aura's eyes. They'd...changed. Completely black, save for the irises; they had turned a deathly shade of yellow. It looked VERY creepy.

What the H-E-double Corsola sticks WAS this?? This could not be good.

_Wait a minute._ Jay turned to look at Bannette. The ghost had frozen with his arms raised above his head, a dark energy sphere half-formed between them. If it wasn't for the fact that the snow around them was slowly starting to fall again, he probably wouldn't even have seen this sphere twitch and start growing both in size and intensity.

"Jack," Jay said in a low voice. "The time-freeze thing...I think it's stopping."

Jack shuddered. "Good. 'Cause I'm already freaked out enough."

"What about Aura?" Tedi whispered, as if afraid that she could shatter time just by speaking loud enough. "She looks a little bit green."

Jay noted that Aura did look pretty ill. Her eyes were closed feverishly, and...Jay's eyes bulged in horror.

She'd wandered straight into Bannette's attack path!

"Aura!" Jay shouted. "Aura! Run, get out of the w--"

"--BALL!" Finishing his battle cry, Bannette whipped his arms forwards and pitched the dark sphere at Aura. There was only a split second's warning for her to see the attack speeding towards her, and then she screamed as an incredible pain wracked her body.

"AAAUURGGH!!" Aura shrieked and crumpled on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she clutched her head in her paws. It felt as if she was being ripped apart from the inside out--it was all she could do not to vomit and pass out right there. Already everything had started to fade out in a red haze--

_"Urghh!" He stumbled back a few steps, paws clasped over his side, and sank to his knees._

_  
Blood._

"You--!!" She dimly heard Jack start off on a furious tirade, calling Bannette every nasty name he shouldn't have known at his age. Tedi was crying now. "I oughta burn your so bad your GRANDKIDS'LL be scarred for life!!"

_"Look into my eyes."___

Blazing, garnet eyes. That gaze held her paralyzed with sheer evil. The hissing, awful voice. "Look at me, pitiful one. Gaze deep into my eyes...give way to the darkness."

"No, he ran away. He teleported when we heard you coming."

"She's going into shock. Keep her face covered," a voice instructed. Alakazam.

_"You were both fools. Oblivious to the truth. He knew all along how this would turn out."___

The blades dug deeper in. She gasped, pain clouding what could be her last thoughts. "No...s-stop..."

"We can't even reach the hospital in this weather. How are we supposed to help her?"

"I'll take her." This new voice was an unknown--female, and motherly. "I'm not an expert, but six years of motherhood has taught me my fair share of medical care. I can keep her until this dratted weather clears up."

_"You're going to die the slow, painful death of an overconfident brat. Just as your father did. Your friends will come after you, and these fools will all give up the blind faith they placed in three KIDS."___

She couldn't speak. The red clouds fogging her mind was thickening, spreading...

"Aura." Jay's voice, next to her ear. "Listen. They're going to take you back to the Square. Kangaskhan's gonna look after you. Just...look, Aura, hang tough, okay?"

_"Darkness shall shroud all. Existence...will cease."___

...dimming to black...

Aura felt herself being lifted into strong arms. Somebody had wrapped her in a blanket.

"Rest easy, kiddo," that motherly voice said. "You're in good hands now."

_"One life given, and likewise two lives renewed_

__

And so three will become one

To wake the Guardian of Dimensions."

--

_Black._

_A black haze._

_Words occasionally floated to her._

_Several times Aura thought it was too late, that she was dead and these people could do nothing to help her. Even though she could hear people talking to her, the words meant nothing. Because she was lost, wandering through the realm between reality and unconsciousness. In a way, she was in neither world._

_She also saw them. Her friends. Over and over she relived her memories with these Pokemon, until she wasn't entirely sure that it had been real anymore. She wasn't even sure of her own identity, her own name._

_And then one morning, she did wake up. And it wasn't in darkness._

_--_

"C'mon, dear, sit up." A roughly clawed hand was gently shaking her shoulder. "You have to eat something."

She groaned and stiffly pushed herself halfway up. Senses dimly registered a straw bed and a blanket over her. Her temples and lungs pulsed with dull pain; she gingerly felt her side and hissed in a breath as knives shot through her rib cage. Rags had been wrapped around her chest to serve as bandages.

"Hey, easy there, killer." A voice chuckled. "Don't want to go breaking anymore ribs, especially when they're still healing. Here, eat this." Somebody helped Aura sit up, at the same time holding a firm, cornflower blue berry in front of her.

Aura's stomach growled loudly; it occurred to her that she may not have eaten for some time. She eagerly sank her fangs into the Oran Berry, driven by a nearly obsessive hunger. The pain in her ribs lessened somewhat as she ate, and she gradually became aware of her surroundings. She had been taken to a large stone building, one with roughly hewn windows near the roof and very little in the way of decoration. Standing nearby and watching her with an expression of both slight amusement and immense relief was a Pokemon--another of the taller kind, with brown skin and a sandy yellow underside-which also sported what was apparently a large pouch-and ears. Several spikes and bumps dotted the Pokemon's skin here and there, as well as a round black section on her head, and she also had red eyes. Red eyes. It seemed Aura knew a lot of Pokemon with that eye color. Absol, Bannette, Tyranitar...

"Gosh sakes, you really had us worried there!" the Pokemon exclaimed. "We thought we'd lose you before this snow stopped falling long enough to reach the hospital! Or before we could get you to eat anything, for that matter!" She chuckled wearily.

Aura nodded, still partially distracted by her Oran Berry. "Mm-hm. It's very good. Thank you."

"I'm just glad you finally woke up," the older Pokemon said. "But I swear, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost think you'd been going hungry for two weeks instead of five days!"

"Five days?!" Aura looked up, alarmed.

"Yep, that's how long you were out for. Alakazam guessed that Bannette's the one to thank--or BLAME--for that. Normally you're not supposed to kill your opponents in a fair fight, but rules don't exactly apply to that scoundrel. What makes it worse is that he disappeared right afterwards, so we haven't been able to track him down and give him what he deserves."

Aura looked blankly at her berry. "No wonder I was so hungry."

"Oh, by the way, dear, I'm Kangashkan." The Pokemon gave a friendly smile. "I've been tending to you this whole time. Your friends said to say hi--they're pretty worried."

"I can imagine...Kangaskhan?"

"Yes, dear?" Kangaskhan said gently. Her pouch suddenly wriggled, and a small head poked out, blinking sleepily. The infant was a smaller, purple version of its mother, with large brown eyes and less pronounced claws.

_If I've been out for such a long time, then there might be a chance that..._ "Is Team Zakuro back from Delta Pass yet?" Aura asked hopefully.

"Well...no, sweetie, I'm afraid not." Kangaskhan's expression became somber. "But actually, Team Hydro did return yesterday!" she added quickly, brightening. "As did Team Meanies and two of the members of Team EleFlor--a Cherrim and a Pachirisu, if memory serves me correctly. That's a good sign that the rescue's going pretty well for Darienne. Unfortunately it also means we have to deal with Gengar's group again," she muttered under her breath.

"Gengar? Team Meanies?" Aura vaguely recalled having seen that name on the list of missing teams.

"Yeah. Pretty original, isn't it?" Kangaskhan laughed dryly. "But boy, do those three live up to THAT title. The only members are Gengar, Medicham, and Ekans. They're not as dangerous as that Darkshade bunch, but they do spend an awful lot of time roughing it up with the lower-rank teams. Just hope that you won't have to meet them someday."

Aura nodded. She was suddenly feeling tired again. With a barely suppressed yawn she lay back down on the bed.

"Whoops, there I go running my mouth again," Kangaskhan chuckled. "Go ahead and get some rest, kiddo--you need it."

"By the way," Kangaskhan said, turning as she reached the doorway. "Your two friends, the Charmeleon and the Trapinch? They brought this by the day after the attack. Asked me to keep an eye on it for you."

Aura opened her eyes to look, and smiled weakly.

Her Brick Break TM.

TBC...

**(Sorry it's so short. But I hope the quality overshadowed the quantity. Even if it was a bit...dark.)**


	11. Chapter 11: They're looking for you

**Told you I'd post it, didn't I. X3  
Oh! BTW, there's going to be two major parts to this story. As in, like, halves. So, yeah, just FYI.**

**Ch. 11**  
Aura's recovery continued for a week after waking up. Even she was surprised by the rate at which she was healing; even though she still got headaches, she was soon able to walk on her own, and the wrappings around her chest were removed. Her ribs still hurt, but Kangaskhan assured her that they were well healed beyond the point of rebreaking on their own. "It's almost as if Arceus herself were watching you," she had commented once. "I'm definitely surprised, kiddo."

By the time she was almost ready to start battling again, Aura had started accompanying her tender to the Square every morning. A single parent, Kangaskhan ran a storage business, keeping watch over the valuable supplies or surplus items that rescue teams couldn't carry with them. The business was well known to the residents of Pokemon Square, and soon Aura came to know Kangaskhan's clients on a first name basis. Many of them praised her for coming through her recuperation with such strength, and one day a Diamond-rank team leader even stopped to tell her about the villagers' reactions to Bannette's attack. The news had generated such outrage and concern that most of the rescue teams--his and Alakazam's included--had postponed their missions and refused to leave the square until confirmation that Aura would pull through. She found it surprising that so many Pokemon could be worried for her when they hardly even knew her.

"Well, you'd be surprised how people react to things like this. Everybody here has different principles and motives, but when it comes right down to it they all care about the welfare of the village," Jay told her one day. It was now 14 days after Bannette had attacked them; a new month had come, but much to the dismay of the residents the snow was now coming harder and thicker, instead of disappearing. Jay, Jack, and Raichu had stopped by at the Storage building to visit. Much to Aura's amusement, Raichu had recently found a couple potential admirers in a young Pichu and a Zigzagoon, the two of which were clustered next to her. Raichu quite enjoyed being looked up to as an idol, and though her antics remained just as crazy she had eventually taken on the role of 'big sister' to the two children. Even now she was busy telling them a wildly animated tale about her encounter with a crazed Munchlax. "So then it, like, charged RIGHT AT ME and yelled, 'Munchlax hungry! You give Munchlax food!'" she said, pulling off an uncanny imitation of the Pokemon's gruff voice as she waved her arms about. Pichu and Zigzagoon soaked in every word, wide-eyed with amazement.

"Yeah, right, if you count Bannette as an actual person," Jack scoffed at Jay's reply. He was leaning back against the front shelf, both elbows resting on the smooth surface as he lazily watched Kangaskhan work. "Stupid , ran away without even staying to fight. Pfeh."

"Oh, yeah, that's right," Jay suddenly said, as if just remembering something. "We forgot to tell you, the Rescue Team Organization blacklisted Team Nightshade a couple days ago. So now there's a warrant out for their capture."

"For something else, or just the attack?" Aura asked, surprised.

"Whatever it is, we can just say they've been very naughty," Jack said dryly. "Some of the RTO scholars did some research, and apparently Nightshade isn't just a team name. Sounds like Bannette and his sidekicks there are actually part of some ancient, psycho assassin's cult by that same name. Plus, Bannette also has a pretty decent record for past assaults and kidnappings. Unfortunately, nobody's seen 'im or his other teammates since the INCIDENT, so now we have all sorts of bounty hunters and whatnot throughout the continent."

"Goodness, I hope those four are brought in soon," Kangaskhan said. "I can't rest easy knowing those ruffians are running loose. And what, in the name of Mew, would they be doing here?"

Apparently, Raichu _could _rest easy. While the others had been busy discussing the vagabond team, she had casually sidled over to the back shelf, where she'd spotted a small box of Gummis. Trying to look as if she wasn't doing anything, the electric mouse stealthily slipped a paw around the box sitting in front of the shelf and started madly groping, hoping to get to the delicacies. Alerted by the scrabbling noises, Kangaskhan became aware that Raichu might be up to something and ambled over.

"Hey, what are you up to?" she demanded suspiciously.

"Wh-what, me?" Raichu said innocently, keeping a straight face as her paw closed around the box. "Oh, nothing. Just minding my own business. Nice and warm back here, haha!"

"Minding your own business, eh?" Kangashkan growled. "If I know you at all, you're definitely up to no good. Now what are you--"

"Hey! Put those down!" Aura had seen what Raichu was trying to do and rushed over, pulling her away. Unfortunately, Raichu now had both paws clamped onto the Gummi box and was unwilling to let go of her prize.

"Hey, leggo!" she shouted. "You're gonna shove--"

Too late. Almost immediately she overbalanced and pitched forward, bringing the larger box toppling down with her. The Gummi container hit the floor and burst open, spilling a mess of Gummis everywhere. Jarred by the impact of hitting the ground, the box tipped over, sending some of its contents flying. Jay immediately jumped to clamp his jaws around a wayward Link Box, but the effort caused him to fall onto his back where he lay thrashing his limbs about to try and upright himself. Aura had to dive and roll to grab a Blowback Orb before it hit the ground.

"You thieving, scandalous little villain!" Kangashkan roared, swinging a fist at Raichu. "Now look what you've gone and done! Three days' worth of hard work and organizing, all ruined over a few Gummis! Miss Ten-Stomachs!"

"No, I never!" Raichu protested, betraying her innocence by scooping some yellow Gummies into her mouth. "Ah din' do nubbin', weally!" she said around her mouthful.

"Mmf. Could somebody help me up here?" Jay mumbled.

While all this had been going on, Zigzagoon had slipped into the fray to grab some Gummies and a few other items in his claws. Going unnoticed, the small raccoon-like Pokemon scuttled away, hoping to store his stash in a tree at home. In his excitement, he failed to pay any attention to where he was going, and plowed headfirst straight into a gray-skinned, humanoid Pokemon with three ridges on his head.

"Hey!" the Machop roared, whipping around to glare at the Pokemon. "Watch where you're going, fuzz brain!" Without waiting for a response, the Fighting-type threw a fist out at Zigzagoon--

--only to smack straight into someone else's waiting paw. Raichu followed the block by landing a perfectly aimed kick at the Machop's chest. Winded, Machop could only sink to the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Go chase a Rapidash, muscle head!" Raichu shouted hotly. Then, to add insult to injury, she pulled a lower eyelid down with one of her paws and waggled her tongue tauntingly. "Naaanaaa, Mister High and Mighty! "

"Wooow!! That was SO awesome!" Pichu piped up, bouncing, then, following Raichu's lead, stuck his own tongue out at Machop. "Blah!"

"Oh, crap!" Jack suddenly shouted; he'd remained in his spot, looking out towards the Square entrance, and now he straightened up and ran over to Kangashkan. "It's THEM!! One of 'em's the guy you were talking about, Kangaskhan!!"

Everybody immediately became more solemn, even Raichu. Kangaskhan lifted Jay and set him on all fours, then ordered, "All of you, go find Alakazam. Tell him what's going on, and then head straight home and don't come out until I come to get you. Run! Aura, follow me," she said as the others immediately tore off towards the direction of the A.C.T. team base. Ushering Aura into the very back of the building, Kangaskhan hastily explained in a whispered breath, "You probably haven't heard about them, there were some Pokemon coming around looking for someone before Dai came back from the Buried Relic. Now I don't know what this is about, it's probably nothing, but I just don't trust them. Hide back here until I come for you, and don't make a noise." They had reached the far wall. Kangaskhan slid stacks of boxes over to create a wall in front of Aura, and then hustled back out front.

"Move it!" a harsh voice barked. "Everybody, all of you, out of my way!"

Aura's blood froze. Somehow, she'd heard that voice before.

"Who in the name of Mew do you think you are?!" Kangaskhan's voice raged. "This is a public facility! You two have no right to be here!"

"You watch what you say!" a third voice growled. "We'll go wherever we choose, so don't interfere!"

Aura decided to risk a look. Peering out through a small gap, she could see Kangaskhan glaring daggers at two Pokemon--a Mighteyena, and another canine. The second of the two, obviously the leader, had a lean yet powerfully muscled build, with midnight black fur and a rustic orange muzzle and underside. Several ivory, rib-like ridges arced over his back, and he had two curved horns on the back of his head and two bone rings over each paw. Houndoom's thin, snaking spade-tipped tail twitched impatiently. It was the eyes, however, that chilled Aura's heart--mean, ruthless eyes, red as freshly spilt blood. The Houndoom suddenly turned his head in Aura's direction, and she shot back from the gap. Had she been seen?! Had he seen her?!

"Fine, then. Just tell me what you want, and then GET OUT." Kangaskhan said acidly.

"You already know about the attack on the Eastern mountain village three months ago," Houndoom said. "We're still searching for the one responsible. If you've recently happened to see any new Pokemon, or strangers who you--"

"I'm a store owner," Kangaskhan interrupted, her voice cold as ice. "I know my clients and the other residents as well as my own child, and none of them have done anything of the like. As for new arrivals, a nomad clan just arrived last month to stock up on supplies. None of them have made any kind of threat towards the villagers here. And if you don't believe me, you can just talk to their leader over there." She pointed to where Razor was parting her way through the crowd towards them. There was a pause, which lasted for a few seconds. "That should answer your questions. Good day."

"Now look, you uppity--" Mighteyena started to snarl.

"_YOU ARE THE ONES WHO ARE UNWELCOME HERE!"_ Kangaskhan roared. "Now GET OUT!!"

There was an uncomfortable silence. "Cute kid you got there," Houndoom growled bad-temperedly. "You'll want to keep a close eye on 'im." Then Aura heard them leave, footsteps muffled by the snow.

It felt like an eternity before Kangaskhan finally entered the back room, cradling her infant protectively against her shoulder. "The nerve of those two," she muttered angrily, moving the boxes aside with one hand. "Nothing but trouble, they are. Next time they come around, we'll have--hey, what's the matter?" she interrupted herself, noticing how much paler Aura had become.

Aura shuddered and curled up tighter, eyes shut. "It-it's that Pokemon...Houndoom," she whispered shakily. "His aura...there's...death. And shadows. It's cold...terrifying." She looked pleadingly up at Kangaskhan. "I need to leave. Now."

"You're perfectly safe here, Aura," Kangaskhan said firmly. "Stay here, at least until we know for sure they're gone. I'll keep watch--then you can go."

"...they said they were looking for a fugitive," Aura said, a horrible idea starting to blossom in her mind. "What if they meant me? What if--"

"Aura. Listen to me." Kangaskhan's calm, assertive voice cut into her growing panic. "Whatever anybody says, _you are NOT a criminal._ I can see it in your eyes, and I know you well enough to say that you are NOT a bad person."

She still wasn't convinced--Kangaskhan had no way of knowing what Aura's past had been like, and neither did she. What if she had done something truly horrible? And even if that wasn't true, there was the fact that she'd _frozen time_ with hardly any effort! If someone wanted to find her, it was for a reason.

For the first time she could remember, Aura felt afraid.

--

"Man." Absol let out a whistle. "That is one big river."

"Ya think?" Blaziken said. But no kidding, the river in front of them was seriously HUGE. Absol guessed that it must be at LEAST thirty yards across.

"Do we have to go through there?" Dai asked, nervously eyeing the rapidly swirling water. "'Cause I...I don't do so well in water."

"Must go. Big Charizard and Meganium and Swampert went this way," Quagsire said cheerfully. He was about Absol's height, covered in light blue skin with dark blue splotches on his back and the end of his tail. The Mudfish Pokemon had a simple, relaxed expression on his round head, and thickly webbed feet and hands. The three team members had come across him two days ago, and Quagsire had asked permission to come with them. "It safe, river not dangerous," he said upon Dai's nervousness. "Know this spot well. Many Quags come here."

"Right, so...I guess we cross river--I mean, cross THE river," Dai stammered. Stepping hesitantly into the water at the bank, she shuddered at the icy temperature. Delta Pass really was an amazing dungeon, Absol had to admit. At least, it didn't look like some crazy hellhole of doom. The mountain was divided in halves by a valley, through which the main river flowed--this was just a tributary. Not very many trees grew in the valley, just grass and shrubs. The mountainside itself was quite the opposite, thickly wooded and with a rocky beach near the foothills. A thick fog drifted in from the sea nearby, filtering the light, and add the jagged rock protrusions that jutted up fifteen feet or so from the ground, and the place pretty much looked like it had come out of a fairy tale.

A fairy tale where the water was freaking cold. Absol shivered and stepped back out of the water, paws numb from the temperature. At least there wasn't any snow here until the peak--strange, considering that it must have been snowing around the entire continent. He looked distrustfully at the water. _Nice opportunity to drown,_ he thought. About time to demonstrate some wilderness know-how.

Shaking the water off his paws, Absol looked around, finally spotting a tree that looked about as long as the river was wide. _Perfect._ He slightly turned his head to the side, and the blade on his head started to glow ominously. So caught up in the moment, he paid no attention to the others starting across behind him.

"Hahn!" Absol whipped his head forward. The energy from his blade shot out in rays at the tree, cutting into the trunk. As it began to topple, he hastily leapt up into the branches, nimbly climbing further up to the top. With the extra weight added on and directing its fall, the tree fell to the river with a great crash, producing great plumes of water. Absol clung to the trunk, gripping it with his claws to avoid being thrown off.

"...heh," Absol snickered, feeling pleased with himself despite the water soaking his neck. _Easy as pie._ "Bridge, guys. Let's--hey, how'd you get over THERE?!" he demanded, gaping in disbelief at Blaziken and Quagsire lounging at the other side of the river. Blaziken was about halfway through an apple.

"Nice bridge," Blaziken called calmly. "Considering the river's only 10 inches deep at the most. You just need to walk across."

"Hahawhaw, make a bridge for shallow river," Quagsire guffawed good-naturedly as Absol waded over to them, giving an ill-tempered growl. "Hilarious, you! Haha!"

"Well, where's Dai?" Absol asked once he'd finally reached them, shaking water out of his fur. "PLEASE tell me she at least saw that."

Without a word, Blaziken jerked a thumb behind him. Absol looked and groaned.

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! Dai had curled up in the shade of a bush, head resting on her front paws and eyes closed as her side rose and fell in even, slow movements. The Espeon actually appeared to be NAPPING!!

Blaziken winked, then reached out with a leg and nudged his foot against Dai's side. "Ahem."

"Uh?" Dai lifted her head, blinking dazedly. "Oh...sorry. It's just so easy to daydream here, and...I guess I kinda fell asleep for a minute." She yawned and stretched in one fluid motion, then got back to her feet. "Okay, let's get going--wait." She suddenly went rigid, ears erected and stiff as she listened. Her tail had frozen, quivering slightly. With a sigh, Dai relaxed and called, "You can come out of hiding, you know."

What-? The bushes behind him rustled, and Absol turned to see two Teddiursa step out, wide-eyed and fearful. _wait a minute..._

"You two!" he said.

"How long were you following us for?" Dai demanded, narrowing her eyes at Tedi and Teddiursa.

"Um...s-since you left," Teddiursa said ashamedly. "We..."

"I thought you were told NOT to come here!" Blaziken chided. "This place is dangerous! Do your parents even know where you are?!"

Teddiursa and Tedi both turned to look uncomfortably at each other. "...we don't have any family," Teddiursa finally said, whispering.

"Hurr, not be so harsh," Quagsire said to Dai and her team members. "They just be little 'uns, probably followed outter admiration. They be safe with us."

"Yes...you're probably right, Quagsire," Dai said, and then turned to the two siblings. "But it was still reckless. Teddiursa, you're the older one. You're supposed to be responsible for you and your sister--sneaking after us was NOT a smart choice. But now there's nothing that we can do." At Blaziken's disbelieving look she explained, "We're too far out now to just tell them to go home--it's too dangerous--and we want to try and save our Escape Orbs for the other teams. Just stay with us, we'll look out for you," she said to the two.

Tedi nodded, truly looking sorry. "Tedi is sorry; she'll never do it again. She just wanted to be strong like Team Zakuro..."

"S'okay," Dai said understandingly. "Actually, I probably woulda done the same. Just don't do it again, okay?"

"Hohurr, you be comin'?" Quagsire called. He had waddled up a path nearby, and was now looking back at the group. "Charizard and Meganium team this way, not far. And 'er be no more little 'uns, nah."

TBC...


	12. Chapter 12: A Frantic Plea for Help

**(hums) Look, I'm a clock! :p O.o Uh...anyways, here's the new chapter. (hides under rock) (Warning: In this chapter, we meet a character who talks even more than Raichu. Believe it or not.)**

(**KB'S SCAVENGER HUNT!! Well, sorta.  
--I went ahead and incorporated an element or two from PMD2 into the chapter. Go ahead and PM me if you can guess what it/they are/is. Winners get a pineapple. :P )**

**And lastly, thanks again to ****Shadow****the Invisible Hero ****and ****RunningStorm**** for reviewing! Merci bien!  
**  
Ch. 12  
"Okay...yeah, they're gone," Kangaskhan finally said. Ten minutes had gone by since the incident--in that time, Aura had become incredibly pensive and wound up, expecting to see Houndoom's eyes glaring at her at every turn. That short glance had been enough to jar a vaguely familiar note in the back of her mind, and because of that she'd quickly developed a quick running fear of him. Fear that she would have to meet him again someday, and that she WOULD die.

Aura eagerly stood up, cramped leg muscles complaining from such a long time of hiding, and hurried for the exit. Her paw caught on a cobblestone, and she grabbed onto a low shelf to break her fall. As she did so, her paw brushed up against a pile of Reviver Seeds, and she suddenly began to feel dizzy and disoriented.

--

_"But you're a Gold Rank team leader!" Zora protested angrily. "I thought you were a professional!"_

_"I don't know what to do, okay?!" Dai cried. "I'm not Alakazam! I've never had to try and heal something this bad!"_

--

"Aura?" Kangaskhan's voice broke into her thoughts.

Aura was back in the Storage building. She realized she'd been having a vision--though she couldn't tell whether it had been a flashback into the past, or a premonition of what was to come in the future. Another confusing thing: it was Dai she'd seen, and another Pokemon as well. But why...?

"Are you sure you're okay, sweetie?" Kangaskhan asked, concerned. "You look pretty distant. Is something the matter?"

"...no." Aura straightened up. She decided not to tell Kangaskhan about what had just happened. It would only worry her. Besides, it may not have even meant anything. But still, she couldn't help but wonder...

"Well...okay, if you're sure you're fine," Kangaskhan gave in. "In any case, I think you should be ready to get back to your normal schedule now. I pronounce you completely healed."

"Thank you." Aura gave a small bow, then walked out into the central Square. The town was unusually quiet, despite the young children romping and cavorting in the snow. Only a few rescue teams were out preparing for the day's work that lay ahead; some were busy discussing the necessity of clearing the roads to the other villages, reinforcing the shops and homes against the unexpected weather, and such other things. On any other morning Aura would have found comfort in such a familiar scene, but the previous experience had left her considerably shaken and wary.

What she really wanted, she realized, was to be alone.

She turned and ran out to the coast, eventually reaching the steep cliff that dropped out into the sea and turning to race along its edge. Aura was unable to repress an instinctive rush of exhiliration, and increased her speed, leaving the village far behind her.

This was what she was meant to do. It was part of her being--to race swift and free as an arrow brought her closer to the flow of nature, closer to the beginnings of her ancestry. This was a continuation of what her ancestors had been doing for hundreds of years; in doing so, Aura felt complete and happy. The desire for speed had made its way into her heart.

Eventually, she finally slowed to a stop. She'd come to a point where the bluff was at its highest over the water. To her left, the woods had gotten thicker, dominated at the front by an enormous, ancient tree. The inside branches, thick and widely spaced apart, were void of snow, shielded by the outer boughs. With hardly a thought Aura coiled her legs and leapt up to the lowest hanging branch. She landed lightly on it and immediately jumped to the next, vaulting her way towards the top. In what seemed like very little time she found a suitably curved branch and settled onto it, leaning back as she looked out to sea. A soft silence hung in the air, broken only by wind rustling through the leaves and sheets of ice crackling minutely on the water. Aura took in the scene with an almost philosophical serenity. Here, she felt that she had found a spiritual and emotional refuge.

"Really is quite a view, isn't it?" a voice said nearby.

Aura yelped, caught by surprise, and nearly slid off her branch. She looked up to see Razor standing on the branch above her, leaning casually against the tree. The Sceptile had appeared almost out of nowhere!

"Yeah, I know. I can't be caught easily," Razor said as if sensing Aura's shock, and grinned. A startling movement for the supposedly adamant Pokemon.

"I didn't even see you there," Aura admitted. This was true--Razor's tail, elbow blades, and emerald skin had served as excellent camouflage to blend into her surroundings. If she was this stealthy all the time, it was probably no wonder she had become a ninja. All Aura knew was that she would hate to be one of Razor's victims.

"Call it part of the profession." Razor faced the sea with crossed arms. "When one lives a life of wandering and assassination, as well as being in charge of the welfare of five other Pokemon, it tends to affect how one moves through everyday life. Matter of fact, I was up here long before you came."

...oh. "What _are_ you doing here?" Aura asked, curious.

Razor looked down at her. "Why you?"

Aura had to admit, she most definitely had not been expecting that question. "Well...it's isolated out here," she explained a bit lamely. "And, I...with everything that's happened lately, it got sort of overwhelming, and I just wanted to be by myself for a while."

"Speak of Diglett, that's my reason, too." Razor reached up to snap a young twig off the bough above her. She chewed thoughtfully on the end of it, looking as if she was pondering something. "You know, solitude can be a good thing to have once in a while, as long as you use it properly. Everyone needs a few minutes to themselves now and then. Unless you're an outlaw, in which case you generally want to avoid chatting it up with the locals."

Surprised, Aura couldn't help but laugh a bit. Razor was actually turning out to be much more sociable than she'd thought. Given their few short encounters, and the tales she'd heard from Jack, she'd expected the Sceptile to be more...rough. Then again, she probably was when it came to keeping Jack out of trouble.

"But at the same time, you can't just cut yourself off completely from everybody around you," Razor continued. "We all need friends for support. Very few can make it completely on their own, and if there even are any out there I sure as heck haven't met any yet. If a friend is willing to put their life on the line for yours, or at least hear you out, then you know you'll always be able to find someone to help you work through your problems." She suddenly sombered. The relaxed smile disappeared. "You can trust me on that. So many people take it for granted, they don't realize that having a lifelong friend can be one of the most sacred blessings in life."

Aura frowned. Was Razor speaking from personal experience?

"...oh. Uh, oops, didn't mean to get emo on you all of sudden." Razor chuckled nervously. "S'just a little quirk I have, I guess. Anyways, I better get going. Shinbashi can run the clan himself for a few minutes, but sooner or later I'm gonna be needed to intervene in another situation, most likely involving Jack."

"Why? Did he say something?" Aura asked.

"Nah, but I just figure that if I haven't seen him around for four hours, and neither has Shinbashi, then he's in even deeper than we figured." Razor cracked another grin and jumped expertly down to the ground some six meters below. "Just my general rule with the pyromaniac. Well, be seeing you then." With a jaunty wave, the Sceptile had gone.

_"No! Look out!"_

Aura sat bolt upright. "Jay?" she called.

Nobody else was around. But she could've sworn she'd heard Jay's voice just now. He'd sounded panicked, and..._hurt._

_"AAUGHH!"_

That did it. Aura _threw_ herself off the branch and tore back to the Square, her paws ploughing up snow as she ran. All other thoughts had abruptly left her mind--she had to help Jay!

She reached the Square in record time, drawing attention from the other Pokemon as she skidded panting to a stop. Aura quickly scanned the area and, spotting Jack at the southern road, hurried over to him.

"Hey, Aura, what's u--" Jack's greeting was cut short as Aura began talking frantically.

"Jack! Where's Jay??" she cried. "Have you seen him?!"

Jack blinked. "Huh? No, I...why?"

"What's wrong? Nothing happened, did it?" somebody piped up worriedly. Aura looked over to see an unfamiliar Pokemon standing next to Jack, fidgeting nervously. She seemed to bear both feline and vaguely canine features, and was bipedal with bluish-black fur and dark red eyes. Also present were a rose-colored crest that fanned out above the Weavile's head in a triangular shape and another, smaller crest of the same color around her neck like a collar. Other features included scarlet, downturned ears, two spear-shaped points that served as a tail, and a gold, oval-shaped coin emblazoned into her forehead. "I mean, like, he's okay, right?"

Aura was confused. "You know Jay?"

"Yep--well, no, not really," Weavile stammered. "I knew his dad, though--I mean, like, who he was, I didn't actually _know him_ know him, but everybody knew who he was, though--"

"What's she talking about?" Jay's voice came from behind them. Weavile jumped, startled, and three large scythe-like claws slid reflexively out of each forepaw.

"Jay!" Aura whirled to find Jay walking up to them, looking a bit tired and sluggish but otherwise appearing unharmed. "Are you okay??" she asked frantically. "You were hurt! What happened? I heard you shouting--"

"Hurt? What do you mean?" Now it was Jay's turn to be confused. "I wasn't shouting."

Aura didn't know what to say. "But...you weren't in trouble just a moment ago?" she said after a few seconds.

"No." Jay barely managed to surpress a yawn. "Well, yeah, it's true that I don't do so hot in this kind of weather, but I'm fine, seriously."

"Maybe you heard someone else who sounded like Jay," Jack suggested. "Or you just imagined it."

Aura shook her head. She KNEW she'd heard something. ...hadn't she?

"Oh, gosh, it's really you!" Weavile shouted, finally retracting her claws and pointing at Jay. "I thought it was you, but I didn't know--I didn't think you'd be here, but I didn't know who else to look for, and--"

"Wait. You were...looking for me?" Jay, who was obviously completely baffled by now, turned to look questioningly at Jack and Aura.

Jack shrugged. "No clue. She just kept ranting about, "I have to find him! Jay's the only one who'll help me! I need to find out where he is!" What, is she a friend of yours or something?"

Jay looked at Weavile, then frowned and slowly shook his head. "I've never seen her before."

"Oh, well, I...that's probably only natural, I guess." Weavile smiled sadly. "I mean, your dad being who he was, you probably would never have heard about any Pokemon who wasn't famous or on another team or--"

"Okay, Jay's here now," Jack broke in impatiently. "Now what is it you want?"

Weavile paused, falling silent mid-sentence, and Aura frowned. She thought she'd seen just the faintest of smiles flash across the Dark-type's face. Then it was gone, and Weavile started talking again. "Okay, so--so my friend, Breloom, and me, we both like to explore, right? We travel around looking for temples and rumors and stuff, you know, like, treasure and that kind of thing. Then we heard something about some place called the Buried Relic, that place they uncovered a couple years ago, and they say the place is supposed to be full of stuff, even a sacred artifact, and Breloom--he wanted to go look and see if we could find anything to bring back. We got pretty deep into the dungeon--well, not "Deep", "Far" would probably be better 'cause it's a bunch of ruins and not a cave or ocean--Breloom fell down this really deep crevice, 'cause he tripped over a vine or something. He can't get out by himself, and he's too far down for me to help him, so I ran here and--"

"But why Jay?" Aura asked. "You keep saying he's the only one who can help you, but why is that?"

"He...he's the only one I could think of," Weavile said, casting a sheepish glance at Jay. "His dad was a really great Pokemon, he didn't refuse to help anybody just 'cause of their species. I don't know any of the other rescue teams around here, and even if I did they wouldn't help me 'cause, you know, I'm a carnivore and have to steal bird eggs to eat and stuff; I mean, it's not really my fault I'm a Weavile and all, but still, nobody trusts us even when we're not trying to hurt anybody." She stopped to wipe her eyes with the back of a paw. "It's hard."

Aura blinked, her head swimming. This was the shortest thing Weavile had said so far.

"So...you knew who my dad was," Jay said quietly, reviewing everything he'd just heard. "And since I'm his son, you thought I could help rescue your friend."

"Yeah, that's right." Weavile suddenly began to panic. "Y-You can help, can't you? Please, I don't know what else to do! He's been trapped down there for a day already, and the snow makes it even worse for--"

"Okay, CHILL!!" Jack held up his hands in a 'Whoa, Nelly' gesture. "But geez, a day? What the heck were you doing all that time?!"

Aura found herself jumping to Weavile's defense. "Leave her alone," she defended. "She doing the best she can for Breloom!"

"Alright, I'll help," Jay finally decided. "I don't know that much about the Buried Relic, though, so you'll have to tell me what you know about it and where I'll find Breloom."

"Sweet!" Weavile shouted. "I knew you'd never turn anybody down! Oh, right, the Relic's pretty big. About twenty miles wide, lots of temples and walls and stuff, it's all made of rock, and it's in the middle of the jungle just south of here. Breloom fell into the crevice somewhere in the middle of it--I don't know where exactly, but it was in a big open area, lots of statues and columns. You can't miss it."

"Sure, okay." Jay nodded. "I'll do what I can." With this he started off down the road, but was stopped as Jack bolted into his path.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold your stinking horses!" Jack blasted. "Since when do you get to do this alone?! This is a freaking DUNGEON we're talking about! Don't you think you'll need just a bit of help there?!"

"Um...I don't remember him including me in, either," Aura hesitantly piped up.

"S'right, pal!" Jack said hotly. "We're your friends! And you're crazy if you think we're gonna let you do this all by your lonesome self!"

"Well..." Jay paused, considering, and then shrugged. "Okay. You guys have a point. I will be needing help at some point, after all."

_"Yoink!"_ Jack punched the air in victory. "Score one!"

Aura started after the two. "Jack, have I mentioned that you are completely insane?"

"I'd have to second that thought." Jay grinned.

"HEY!! If I'm insane, then you're both crazy for hanging out with the insane guy in the first place!"

Jay shrugged again. "He got us there."

On a sudden whim, Aura turned back to face Weavile, her mouth already opening in a question, then closing back shut.

Weavile had gone.

"Aura!" Jack called. "You coming, or what?"

"Oh. Y-yes." Aura picked up the pace to catch up with Jay and Jack. She couldn't place her finger on it, but something felt off about this whole thing. She just couldn't shake a nagging feeling that something incredibly wrong was going to happen. And exactly who WAS Jay's father?

Aura had a feeling this was all going to get deadly very soon.

TBC...

**(lol, cliffhangers...sorry for the kinda patchy chapter. D: )  
**  
**(Random AN: What is it with me and red-eyed Pokemon?? And about the "Yoink!" from Jack...don't blame me, someobdy dared me to put that in a story this week. And I win. :p) **


	13. Chapter 13:Torn Pasts, Rage of a Warrior

Ch. 13  
_So this is the place…_Aura thought to herself. The Buried Relic was a long, maze-like sprawl of crumbled buildings and statues from a civilization long ago. Like a spider web, several stairways spanned the valley in which the dungeon lay, providing access to the lower floors. Also, had it not been for the snow, the swarm of vines and creepers that had overgrown the walls and foundations quite some time ago would have been visible.

"Are you sure this is the right dungeon?" Aura asked Jay.

"Uh-huh. Positive." Jay nodded and shivered as a particularly biting gust ripped by. He didn't seem too well off in the cold, but he was stoically enduring it.

"We passed it on the way to the Square a couple months ago," Jack explained. "Razor and Shinbashi practically went into the entire background history of this place. No way we'd forget after a lecture like that." The Charmeleon sneezed and pulled his flaming tail a bit closer to himself, burying his head in the Defense Scarf around his neck. Aura didn't need empathy to conclude that he wasn't exactly faring excellently in the wet environment either. Both he and Jay were species' specifically adapted for getting by in hot conditions, and thus had little to no protection against the elements even with the scarves they'd picked up from Storage earlier. Aura, on the other hand, was quite well off. The snow did little to lessen her stamina, and with her thick fur she was well insulated against the cold. It was almost as if she had been built to withstand harsh and trying conditions for long stretches of time. Aura couldn't help but be concerned for her two friends, and had already announced more than one resting period to huddle around Jack's tail flame so he and Jay could regain their strength. Then, once they started traveling again, Aura kept a close eye on them to track their health status.

It had been a slow trek.

"Let's go." Aura started down one of the stairways. The sooner they got this mission finished and over with, the sooner they could get inside. Jay snapped his powerfully muscled jaws to dislodge the snow off of his head and shell, and followed after Aura and Jack.

"This is a lot like that time I went hiking with Dad over by Northern Range…" Jay reminisced out loud.

"What's that?" Aura was suddenly overcome with curiosity. "Your father? I heard Weavile say something about him back at the Square."

"Yeah." Jay nodded. "My dad, Flygon—he was the second in command on a rescue team way back when I was little."

"_Ahem_." Jack raised an eyebrow. "Eh, _Jay_. Don't you think 'rescue team' might call for a teeny tiny bit of extra detail?"

Jay immediately clammed up, staring self-consciously at his forelimbs. He was clearly unsure of how to proceed. Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation and said in the Trapinch's place, "He's just modest. By 'Rescue Team', he means _Lucario's_ team. I'm not kidding! He really was!"

"…Lucario…right." Aura searched for any shred of memory that might prove informative. It occurred to her that she'd heard the name Lucario mentioned in the newspaper article she'd read, but it had never occurred to her to ask earlier. "He…who was he again?"

A heavy silence suddenly descended. Shocked beyond words, Jay and Jack stopped in their tracks and turned to stare incredulously at Aura.

"What?" Aura nervously asked. Had she just posed a bad question?

Apparently so. The flood of protests that came immediately after was incredibly loud, even with Jack doing most of the more violent shouting.

"Ow! Hey!" Aura winced and covered her slightly throbbing ears. "How many times do I need to remind you that I just woke up from a coma?!"

"…oh. Right. Sorry..." Jay quieted down, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Well, okay, answering your question. Lucario was an amazingly tough rescue team leader way back a long time ago. He and his team—Dad and a couple other Pokemon, I don't know who they were—even saved the world a bunch of times. I don't think history will ever see any other team rise up to overshadow the accomplishments they made." He paused. "They were really awesome."

"And then they just suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth," Jack put in, and sneezed again. "From what I heard from Shinbashi, two of the team members had been missing for three days. Nobody knew where they were. Then Lucario and Flygon went on an emergency mission and never came back. Nobody even knows how or why, or what the mission was about in the first place. They only know WHERE the disappearance was."

Aura thought back to the newspaper. "Delta Pass," she said.

"Right." Jay stared solemnly ahead, as if reliving his memories on the spot. "I was just a little kid when that happened. There wasn't any other family I could go to when Dad was gone, so I eventually ended up just wandering. Come to think of it, it's probably a miracle I didn't end up turning into a wild Pokemon myself. I think the only thing that kept me going was my dream of returning back home to the Square someday so I could form a rescue team myself, and carry on Dad's legacy. Maybe then I'll be able to find out what happened to them."

Jack scoffed snidely. "Yep, carry on in your beloved daddy's place. That's just SO sweet, Jay." He roughly barged past Aura and a somewhat injured Jay to storm ahead. As he passed, however, Aura managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of anguish in his own eyes. Then he was twelve feet ahead.

_That was DEFINITELY uncalled for,_ Aura raged in her mind. She was about ready to run over and give Jack a good piece of her mind.

_(Don't.)_ Jays' voice suddenly entered her head before she could act. Telepathy. _(He didn't mean anything by that. He's just really sensitive about the whole family topic; he can hardly even talk about it.)_

_(…what do you mean?)_ Aura asked. Even if Jack had a troubled past of his own, that was still no excuse for what he'd just said.

_(He never even knew his parents when he was growing up. I had Dad, and…well, admittedly, I don't really know what kind of family you had growing up, but I'm sure you had someone…but Jack didn't have anybody looking out for him at all. He was an orphan from the start. Before Razor found him, he was put through a lot of really awful stuff. I think his worst experience was when he got caught in a rock slide. He was about five years old at the time, I think. He got pinned under a heap of boulders, and couldn't even move. All he could do was watch as the other casualties were being carried off; it was seven hours before the rescue teams could even get to him-- )_

_(Alright! Alright, I'm sorry!) _Aura cried. _(I had no idea it was THAT traumatic for him!)_

_(It's okay, you didn't know. Anyways, that's why he hates discussing the whole family thing, and why he won't go anywhere alone. He only seems so reckless and competitive because he's trying a bit too hard to make everybody proud of him. I mean, Razor's done a good job with his training and all, but…still. She's not exactly a mom. You know?)_

_(…yes. I know what you mean.)_ Aura fell silent. Not that she was exactly willing to admit it to anyone, but there was a small part of her heart that felt sad and lonely, and empty…mourning. Almost as if she'd also lost someone very close to her. Then again, maybe she had; how was she supposed to remember?

Well, one thing was for sure. She'd had it easy so far, compared to what Jay and Jack had gone through.

_(All Jack really knows is that he has a sister somewhere out there,) _Jay continued. _(He's trying to get strong enough that he can strike out on his own to look for her. His plan is that if he finds his sister, they can work together to find their parents, and they'll be a complete family again.)_

Aura looked out towards Jack, still quite a ways ahead, though he now appeared somewhat downcast. _(…he does have a good idea, I suppose,) _she admitted. Now she felt a bit more willing to be more tolerable of his brash attitude.

_**IT'S COMING!**_

"Huh?" Aura stopped and scanned her surroundings. They'd reached an area where the dungeon had been cut into the slope of a hill; surrounding them was a scattering of crumbled wall foundations and stone columns. Some little voice in her head had suddenly started screeching urgently. An uncomfortably frantic feeling was starting to rise in her gut…

_**IT'S COMING! DANGER! GET AWAY! RUN! FLEE!**_

"Get…what? Coming?" Aura asked out loud, frustrated.

"Aura?" Jay stopped walking, looking concerned. "What's wrong?"

"What's the deal?" Jack was suddenly next to the two again.

Aura shook her head. "It's..." The feeling suddenly shrieked even louder, and she leapt back just in time to avoid being crushed by the large, black tail that slammed the spot where she'd just been standing. Almost immediately a clawed, black fist roared out at her, catching her upside the head. Aura yelped, caught off guard, and jumped back.

The Aggron roared furiously, the weak wintry sunlight glinting off of the silver armor plating covering its limbs, back, and head. Besides its claws, which were also silver, the large lizard-like Pokemon stood on two legs and was colored entirely black except for the armor and its steely blue eyes. Two long, straight horns protruded from two of the four black openings on its helmet, accompanied by another point that extended above its upper jaw.

"Aw, crap!" Jack shouted. "Where'd this guy come from?!"

"Aura, get back!" Jay ordered, automatically assuming the role of leader. "Everybody, get ready to attack him! We're gonna use a pincer formation and get him from all three sides!"

Aura leapt to her feet and jumped at the Aggron, the edges of her paw glowing white as she began to attempt her newly gained Brick Break technique. She dodged the tail that was swung at her and leapt forward, punching her paw towards Aggron's shoulder.

"Aura, careful!" Jay called. "That's--"

WHUD.

A few seconds passed as both Aura and Aggron stood motionless. Then Aggron stumbled, and a delayed shock wave ran up Aura's arm.

"Ow." Aura hissed in a breath and started rubbing her sore paw.

"...steel," Jay finished. "Never mind, I got this. Psyb--WHOA!" Jay was forced to cut his attack off and teleport to dodge Aggron's fist.

"Oi! Rocky!" Jack shouted. "Get a mouthful of THIS!" His jaws snapped open, and Aggron was immersed in a scorching cloud of flames. Then he was knocked backwards as the tail slammed him in the stomach.

Aura couldn't believe this. Aggron was just so FAST! It was literally a fighting machine!!

But she had to at least try.

"Force Palm!"

Her paw hit the cracked ground--Aggron had dodged before she could even land a blow. Too late, she turned to see Aggron behind her. A sphere of light had already started to form in front of its mouth.

"No! Look out!"

Aura froze, horrified. She knew what was going to happen!

"Jay, no!" she cried as the Trapinch teleported in front of her, taking the full brunt of the Flash Cannon as it was fired at them.

"AAUGHH!"

Jay stood wavering for a few seconds, then collapsed.

The Aggron roared triumphantly. Aura turned to look at it, her vision misting into red.

Her rage had come again.

Aggron began to charge at her, head lowered. Without thinking, Aura snapped her paws together in front of her. The water vapor in the air gathered together into a sphere between them, and in one swift, fluid motion she thrust her paws outwards. A blinding barrage of waves shot out at Aggron, the force of the attack sweeping it off its feet and slamming it hard against a column. The impact actually cracked its armor, rendering it unconscious as it slumped to the ground. Impervious to this, Aura immediately lunged over and began repeatedly throwing furious, rock-hard punches into its body, causing further damage. Then she felt herself being dragged back.

"Aura, stop it!" Jack shouted. "Just stop!"

"Let me go!" Aura roared angrily. "I'm not done with him yet!"

"Well, guess what?!" Jack said hotly. "_**I**_ say you're done with him! You were gonna kill that guy! What is WRONG with you?!"

Aura whirled, looking truly ped off, like she was about to hit Jack. She actually raised her paw.

Jack didn't so much as flinch. "Look. I know how ticked with Aggron you are for attacking Jay. But you got him back, the battle's _over!_ So just calm the h down already! Arceus, I thought _**I**_ had a bad temper problem."

Slowly, Aura recognized the sense in what Jack was saying. The red haze died down from her eyes, and she began to feel fatigued after her short but intense rage.

"...you're right," she said. "I got carried away." She turned to look at the unconscious Aggron. One of its spikes had been snapped off, and blood coursed from the large crack in its back. She shuddered--what had happened to her to make her do this?!

She turned, looped the unconscious Jay's forelimb over her shoulders, and began to drag him over to the shelter of a detoriated building structure. Time had eroded two of the walls, and the remaining two weren't exactly sturdy either, but they at least provided protection from the biting winds.

"Come on," she said to Jack. "We'll wait for him to wake up."

--

The fire burned bright, fed by the handful of branches and twigs Aura and Jack had managed to forage. Though it was small, it still kept away the cold; that was what mattered. The three friends were huddled around this fire, subdued and gloomy as they nursed their wounds. None of them had expected this dungeon to be such a challenge; the experience had thoroughly dampened their confidence. Their only plan at the moment was to regain their strength for a few minutes, and then continue their search for Breloom.

But it didn't help that it was still snowing, either.

Aura got to her feet and walked to the far wall, stretching her aching muscles. She stopped, then narrowed her eyes upon noticing something on the wall. Runes. The letters had faded, but she could still read faint snippets of the writing. _"...aftermath of near destruction...a traitor...forgotten...ash of shadow's rage...invincible...stopable by none...three heroes...Guardian, two loyalties...one leader, heir...said traitor shall fall...to its own peace."_ It didn't seem to add up to anything specific, but Aura couldn't help but get a nervous, foreboding feeling from the inscription.

"What's that?" Jay had appeared next to her. He still looked somewhat groggy and weak after waking up, but he looked like he would recover.

"I'm not sure." Aura looked at the inscription again. "I think it must be some sort of saying or legend." She looked around at their shelter. The shadows had lengthened, further darkened by the wan light the fire cast. The place suddenly seemed oppressive and hostile, as if something was waiting to leap out at them at any second. She needed to get out into the open air.

"I'll be back." She walked back out into their previous battle site, feeling cold snow bite into her paw pads. The Aggron still lay nearby--at least the blood had stopped flowing from its wound. Aura shuddered again--why had she become so vicious in that moment? Had some outside force caused it? The stone beneath her groaned slightly. She ignored it.

Maybe it was her own temper.

That wasn't very comforting.

A thin web of cracks opened underneath her. The ground underneath Aura's feet suddenly crumbled and caved in, and with a startled scream she plummeted downwards amidst a downpour of snow and stone. The Riolu curled into a protective fetal position moments before slamming onto the hard floor beneath. The snow and stone blocks were dumped heavily on top of her, pinning her in place. There was hardly even any room to breathe in the smothering heap.

With a cold rush of fear, Aura suddenly had a revelation:

She was terribly claustrophobic. And the place she was caught in right now was _very_ tight and very. VERY. DARK.

Her mind dissolved into a puddle of sheer terror.

_Trapped! She was trapped! She couldn't get out! SHE WAS TRAPPED!!_

TBC...


	14. Chapter 14:Led into a Trap! Who is Aura?

**Now. I feel that I must apologize for the fact that this chapter seems sorta patchy...I was gonna try and rewrite it, but writer's block has other ideas for me. TT.TT So I'll just post what I have for the sake of progress...**

(**PS: I'm already starting work on a sequel, too!)**

Ch. 14  
To Aura, pinned in place, it felt like hours before she heard a friendly voice. In actuality, it only took five seconds for her companions to hear the crash and run over.

"Aura!" Jay called down. It sounded like he was miles away. "Aura, are you okay?"

"HEY!!" Jack shouted. "Aura! Dude, talk to us!"

After what seemed like an eternity of effort, Aura finally gathered the power to speak. "J…just get me out of here…" she squeaked timidly. "Please…"

"What?"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!!" Aura wailed. She couldn't even try to get her panic under control—all other thoughts were dominated by the thought of suffocating to death or being crushed under the incredible weight. Maybe even both!

"Whoa, alright, chill!" Jack said rapidly. "Aura! Hey! _AURA! _Just calm down, we're gonna get you out! Comprende? So just breathe. Be cool. Jay, help me move this boulder." Next to him, Jay clamped his jaws around a chunk of rock and tossed it aside as if it were nothing more than a Chesto Berry.

Jack's words of reassurance barely even registered in Aura's crazed mentality. By now she was starting to hyperventilate, and she felt dizzy and weak.

Oh, yes. And there was still a red-alert sense of danger.

The ground was suddenly racked with a series of violent tremors, and Aura screamed as her makeshift prison quaked and collapsed further.

"What the-?!" Jay shouted.

"Hey!"

"INTRUDERS ALERT," an alien voice droned. "EXTERMINATE."

--

Even through her fear, Aura suddenly realized this was the danger she'd been sensing.

Jay teleported mere seconds before a yellow beam of energy lanced into the spot where he'd been standing. Smoke immediately went up, obscuring view, though he could still see the rock golem lumbering into the smoke in search of its prey. The Pokemon was intimidatingly taller than either him or Jack, a five-foot titan made entirely of grey, tan, and red rock with large sledgehammer arms. A yellow H-shaped pattern of six dots was on its face--probably serving as eyes.

A single word stuck itself in Jay's mind. Not a word, even--a name. _Regirock._

Even despite the fact that this was obviously no normal Pokemon, Jay didn't hesitate.

"That's right, Jack!" he shouted. "Get him!" As Regirock turned and swung an arm to ward off an imaginary attack, Jay immediately took the opportunity to lift a few nearby boulders using his psychokinesis and hurled them at the legendary.

"EXTERMINATE," Regirock droned. The dot pattern on its face flashed ominously before another energy beam shot out, obliterating two of the projectiles. The third managed to chip its shoulder, though the impact hardly did anything to slow it down. Then it raised an arm above its head, slamming it down onto Jay. Or rather, it would have had he not teleported again--the impact with the ground actually caused everything to shake.

Over where Aura had fallen in, the heap of rubble collapsed further.

"AAH!! NO!" he heard Aura scream. "HELP!"

_She can't breathe down there,_ Jay realized. _If that thing falls anymore, she's going to suffocate!_ "Jack! Keep me covered!" he shouted, running over to the large hole in the ground.

"WHAAA?!" Jack did a double take. "Why me?! How the heck am I supposed t--?!"

"Just keep him distracted! I'm going to get Aura!"

"Oh, man..." Jack groaned and muttered a few choice words. Nevertheless, he turned and spewed a bolt of flames at Regirock. "Oi! Rock-for-Brain!" he spat. "I'M the one you want!"

"EXTERMINATE." Regirock swung an anvil-sized hand at Jack, who nimbly dodged it by jumping backwards.

"What, is that the only word you could learn growing up, or what?!" he challenged. "Come on, come and get some, you big dummy!" He then pulled one of his lower eyelids down with a claw and stuck his tongue out in an inflammatory taunt. "Naaah!"

Jay stopped near the edge of the hole, scanning for the place where he should start digging. Some of the rubble heap was big enough that he could climb down, but he didn't want to risk crushing Aura by causing it to come crashing down. Whatever he did, he needed to hurry or Jack wouldn't last long. Unfazed as a wildly aimed Flamethrower shot by inches over him, he bit down on a chunk of rock and tossed it aside.

"Jay!" Jack shouted, sounding panicked. "Jay, he's too fast! I can't take him! JAY!!"

"Just hang in there, Jack! Don't try to attack him, just keep him away from here!" Jay started to shove another boulder aside. Then a pained yell came from Jack, and before he knew it the two were sent flying down into the cavern and slammed hard into the floor. "OW!"

"INTRUDERS ALERT." Regirock appeared at the edge of the hole above. The "eyes" began flashing again, preparing a final blow--

"STOP!"

Before it could attack, Regirock was suddenly encased in a translucent, purple-tinted field of energy. The golem was hurled through the air, crashing into something out of Jay's range of sight.

"Come on!" Jay stumbled to his feet and began frantically clearing away the pile nearby. Jack helped him, hastily digging into the snow with his own claws. Eventually enough was cleared away that they both caught the first glimpse of pale blue fur. Jay effortlessly cleared the remaining snow away by using his psychic powers to sweep it away.

Aura was unconscious, bruised, and soaked to the bone. She had to be freezing. Jay lightly clamped his jaws onto Aura's arm, careful not to bite down hard enough to cause damage, and hauled her out.

"Oosh." Jack let out a low whistle. "She looks bad."

"Yeah..." Jay nodded. "Soon as we get out of here we need to get her back to the Square."

"SYSTEM FAILURE," he suddenly heard Regirock drone. The statement was garbled, almost like receiving an uninelligible telepathic message. The ground trembled, like something was drilling its way down, and then a heavy silence ensued, broken only by quiet footsteps from above. Jay tensed, bracing himself for another attack.

As it turned out, the exact opposite was true.

"Hey."

A familiar Pokemon was standing above them.

Alakazam.

Jay's heart sunk clear into his stomach. He couldn't place why, but for some reason he suddenly felt guilty...like he'd been doing something wrong. Maybe Alakazam's disappointed stare had something to do with it.

"Alakazam!" Jack shouted. "Hey! Can you give us a hand here? Aura needs help!"

Without a word, Alakazam's eyes closed. There was a strange feeling of falling, and suddenly Jay and his two friends were back on solid ground, outside the cave-in. Regirock was gone--he'd been replaced by Alakazam and his two team members. Charizard and Tyranitar had equally hard stares.

_What did we do?_ Jay wondered. _Why are they looking at us like that?_ "Um...guys? Can I ask--" he began.

"Consider yourselves fortunate that we did not arrive any later." Alakazam's eyes sharpened.

"Wha..?"

"You can't recognize an outlaw when you see one?" Tyranitar said flatly. "We found Weavile outside of the Square and forced her to tell us everything. Her 'request' for help was nothing more than a ploy to draw you here so an ambush could be planted to exterminate you. Somebody tried to assassinate you."

"WHAT?!" Jack blasted. "That's just plain old crazy! Did you even see how freaked out that ditz was?! We couldn't even--" He was cut off as Charizard noisily unfurled his left wing, revealing a large slash through the teal wing membrane.

"That didn't happen in the last minute," Charizard said drily. "This was the work of an Aerodactyl that was waiting for you three. But thankfully, Alakazam received information that this would happen, and we were able to confront Weavile and arrive first." He refolded his wing. "Consider yourselves extremely lucky," he growled.

"Why would anyone try to kill us?" Jay jumped when Aura spoke up next to him. The Riolu was sitting upright, arms and head resting on her knees, and was shivering uncontrollably from her soaked fur. How long had she been awake??

"Unfortunately, that is something we were unsuccessful in finding out. Do you three have any idea what you got yourselves into?" Alakazam scolded, his voice rising slightly. "Yes, this was a cover up, but even so you are not legally part of a rescue team, yet you made the decision to depart on a mission that, were it an actual case, should have been ranked for an Elite team! To add to the problem, you left with hardly any preparations, and all the while knowing that this dungeon would be far beyond your skill level! Furthermore, you've endangered not only yourselves, but also the lives of the team rescuing you!"

"But--" Jay protested.

"It's disappointing." Charizard shook his head. "Up until now, I thought the three of you would be able to think responsibly for yourselves. But I was obviously mistaken."

Jay's breath caught in his throat. He felt like he'd just been punched. Even more so, because...he was right. It was really his fault that he'd brought himself into this, and worse, his friends.

"When we return to the Square," Alakazam said, "we shall support you with the cover that you were merely looking for treasure that was rumored to be hidden in the Relic. Word of this 'mishap' will not reach other ears. But let me make myself understood," he said sternly, "this is the _only_ time we will be as lenient. Whatever happens from then on depends entirely on your own decision."

Jay nodded, feeling numb. "Yes, sir."

"We should head back," Tyranitar said, looking around. "Regirock will be returning soon."

Alakazam nodded. "Come," he instructed to Jay and his companions, then turned and began leading the way back to where they'd come. Aura got her feet, running to catch up with them.

Jay's feet dragged through the snow as he followed Team A.C.T. Those words had struck deep, sharpened by the fact that it was true. He should have been more responsible, he realized. Back at the Square when Weavile had confronted him, the right thing to do would have been to try and turn to a high-ranked team for help. Then the matter could have been taken care of. Still, he couldn't believe that Weavile had been lying the whole time, just to try and lure him into this...trap.

For a moment, he was just so glad Dad wasn't here to see how reckless he'd been.

"Alakazam had inside information about this whole thing." Jack had come up next to him. "Did that mean somebody told him?"

"No idea." Jay shrugged. "He may have just looked into the future."

Jack was silent for a minute. "...Jay," he suddenly said. "Remember back a few minutes ago, when we were fighting that Aggron? And you were knocked out? After that, Aura just flew into some crazy death rage and began whaling on that guy." He paused. "...and she used _Water Pulse._"

Now Jack had his full attention. "What?" Jay said.

"It's crazy," Jack said, speaking in a hushed whisper, " 'cause y'know, Aura's a Riolu and all, and normally you wouldn't expect a Riolu to be able to use Water Pulse. You get what I mean? It's almost like she's...she's...not normal," he finished lamely.

Deep in thought, Jay turned to aim a discreet glance at Aura. She was lagging further behind, lost in her own thoughts, so she (hopefully) hadn't heard anything Jack had said about her just now. Yes, Aura was not normal, Jay had to agree. Her amnesia, the "crazy death rage" Jack had described, her freezing time...and now the Water Pulse.

Just who _was_ Aura?

--

"They couldn't have known," Charizard said to his two team members. "It's only natural that they wouldn't know of Weavile. Even the Rescue Team Organization didn't receive the warrant until two months after she'd left the area around Treasure Town."

"Even so, it was a reckless thing to do," Tyranitar pointed out. "They should have taken on more responsibility. Besides, you weren't exactly supporting them when you showed them the damage." He directed his gaze pointedly at Charizard's wing.

The Fire-type shrugged. "I needed to get the point across. They weren't seeing just how serious this whole thing is. Somebody's trying to kill them, or just Jay, and we don't even know who."

Alakazam remained silent. His eyes were closed in meditation, and he was hovering forward above the ground in a cross-legged position, spoons levitating on either side of him. It was something he did even while on the move to strengthen his psychokinetic abilities.

"But I don't understand what's so special about them," Tyranitar continued. "They're kids. It doesn't make sense that anybody would want to assasinate children."

"There is more to this situation than what meets the immediate eye," Alakazam said without opening his eyes. "There is a prophecy that was formed nearly six hundred years ago, by a seer named Mismagius."

"And...?" Tyranitar prompted.

Alakazam didn't answer for a few moments. Then he spoke, as if reciting from memory.

_"In the aftermath of near destruction  
Should said disaster be averted  
A traitor shall emerge, long forgotten,  
from the blood of Shadow's Rage  
And thus, Darkness shall also awaken  
Invincible, undefeatable--shall succumb to none  
Save for three chosen, solely._

_One Guardian  
Blood of two sides, one not common  
A paw in two worlds, two loyalties._

_One Warrior  
Borne of innocent blood, condemned to the haze of a terror within  
And two who fight alongside--unfailing, ever courageous._

_One Seeker  
__Enshrouded in the thick of mystery and shadows  
To find the light, and rebuild the seal--such is the goal  
Two allies in whom the answer resides_

_And lastly one Leader, heir to a legacy,  
Ancestry of a hero, and yet so much more  
With two followers, likewise._

_One life given, and likewise two lives restored  
Said legacy shall return  
In a form pure as the Gemlock blue  
Thus, three will become one  
To awaken the Guardian of Dimensions  
Said Traitor shall fall  
And Darkness will subside  
Leaving the world to its own peace."_

All three were silent for a few moments after Alakazam finished. Then Charizard spoke. "So...you're saying that there is a possibility they could be...?"

"It is a possibility." Alakazam nodded. "Though I still have yet to decipher the entirety of the message, and I may be mistaken about the identity of the Chosen."

"But what is this about a 'Traitor', and 'Shadow's Rage'?" Tyranitar asked. "What does that mean?"

Alakazam was quiet again. "...it means," he finally said, "that a great danger is coming like none that any of us have seen."

TBC...


	15. Chapter 15: Mismagius, Articuno is Gone!

**Here it is! Oh, and remember the mystery creature I described earlier? It's back! Albeit only for a few paragraphs, but hey!  
**  
Chapter 15  
This...THIS was the result of the Lifebane's awakening.

The Frosty Forest had been turned into a place of death; the bitter cold mountains and forests demolished in one blow. Even the coldest of the snow was naught but slush, melted by the still raging fires ravishing the woods below the central plateau dominating the dungeon. Rather, what had been the plateau. Some devastating force had shattered the surroundings peaks and sent debris raining down onto the open flat, leaving little room for any survival within.

Too late; she'd arrived too late again.

She shook melted snow and ice off of her wings and heaved a fallen timber aside with her front paws, freeing the lifeless Pokemon below. With its long, thin body the Pokemon could have easily escaped its prison otherwise, had it had a chance. Blood still streamed from a terrible gash behind one of its tufted ears, staining its striped brown and tan fur crimson. She shook off her own pain at the death of another living creature and reminded herself to be thankful that this Furret's spirit had passed peacefully through the gates of the afterlife. Then she stood on her hind feet, erecting herself to full height as she scanned the skies.

There had been no sign of the forest' guardian since she'd arrived. No sign of the bird with wings like ice, and the streaming banner tail. Articuno must have certainly been killed with the rest of the Pokemon--otherwise it would have already made its presence known by now.

This was a danger the two other Avian Elements would be facing as well. That was a given.

She had to report to the One.

--

The world was dark, never-ending, and silent. A thick mist thickened the air, dampening Aura's fur and muffling the sound of her own paws stepping across the 'ground'. Not that it mattered how far she walked; everything just remained the same. Even her empathy just turned up the same darkness.

But...all the same...she'd been here before.

_"You..."_

Aura's head snapped around towards the general direction the voice had come from--but to no avail. All she succeeded in was giving herself a headache even trying to penetrate the murk.

"Who's there?" she called cautiously. "Show yourself!"

A noise like a gusting sigh filled the air, and a shape hazed out of the mists. The Pokemon's body--if it had any--was entirely obscured by its ragged, billowing cloak--which also was comprised of shadows--and a pointed mage's hat covering most of its face. Wan light came from the three gleaming elliptical garnets around its neck, and two glowing yellow eyes. And yet...despite its ethereal features...there was no hostility from the Pokemon.

The Pokemon fixed those eyes upon Aura's. "My child...good that you have awakened..." she rasped in a sigh much like the one Aura had first heard.

"Awakened...?" Aura was confused. She was sure she was dreaming...wasn't she?

The ghost-like apparition chuckled, the sound sending shivers down Aura's spine. "One is never truly asleep, my dear...always one is present in one world or the other. Such is the way of those who meld between this existence and the Dark World...an ability--and a curse--you and precious few others bear."

"I...don't understand," Aura said, frustration starting to rise. "What are you saying? That I'm supposed to be able to travel between dimensions?"

The ghost turned solemn. "It is such that you must bear on your own...it is for this cause I have come to warn you..." Her eyes suddenly turned a pale red, and when she spoke next it was like several unwordly voices merged as one in an incantation.

_"From thine own time, thee has traveled  
All memory struck and banished--mercy, or penance?  
Light and darkness, one and the same  
Thus thee is granted with power of the unreal  
Curse of the Lifebane...Fate of the Heir...  
Thus both shall become revealed and decided  
For both have awakened, and cannot be one..._

The ghost finished and closed her eyes, falling silent. The gems around her neck began glimmering more brightly as she dissippated into the shadows around her, and then even the garnets began to fade. As she left the haze began to thicken, completely engulfing Aura and pulling her into impenetrable darkness. Claustrophobia rose up, bringing panic with it, and she began frantically thrashing about to free herself.

"No! Come back!" she cried. "Don't leave me here!" The ghost made no return, however, and soon the darkness became thick enough that she could no longer move. "You can't let me die here!"

"What do you mean, die? I highly doubt the roof is going to collapse, even with all the snow on it."

Light suddenly flooded Aura's vision, and she struggled to bring her sight into focus after the abrubt contrast change. She was in her own bed at Dai's home. Morning. Jay stood nearby, emanating the same glow that was keeping Aura motionless.

"J...Jay?" she asked, startled at how much her own voice was shaking.

Jay nodded and released his psychic hold on her. "Sorry, but I had to restrain you," he apologized. "You were going to hurt yourself the way you were thrashing around."

"I..." Aura sat up and looked around, trying to still her own breathing. The shadows...that Pokemon...had it all just been some kind of nightmare? "...what are you doing here?" she finally asked, somewhat at a loss.

"I was passing by and decided to drop in to check on you. After that weird stuff that happened yesterday, I thought maybe you'd still be kind of shaken."

"Oh...I see." Aura paused as a faint _WHUMPF_ reached her ears. Jay had also frozen.

"You hear that?" he said quietly.

Aura nodded. "But let's wait for a second...I don't think we're in danger." A five second wait passed, in which nothing else was heard. Then a startled yelp floated in from somewhere outside, followed by a tide of hysterical laughter. She and Jay turned to look at each other.

"Raichu," they said in unison, and headed outside. Raichu was a few feet away from the side of the house, sprawled on her back with helpless laughter and flanked as usual by Zigzagoon and Pichu. However, two more Pokemon had joined the mix this time, one of which was bent over and lost in a tirade of giggling as well. His slim, weasel-like body was shaking in mirth, flames blazing from vents on his neck and hindquarters. Snow had slightly dampened his fur, which was a dark greenish-blue with pale yellow underside, but this didn't seem to extinguish his spirits in the slightest. The other newcomer had been the source of the yelp, courtesy of the snowball plastered onto the back of her head. The rabbit-like creature had a round body, with long flexible ears, short limbs, and a black zigzag-shaped tail that ended in an odd blue sphere of some kind. Helping insulate her from the cold was her waterproof sky blue fur, which was speckled with a white polka dot pattern at the middle and eventually turned to complete white on her bottom half. She fixed a mournful stare on Raichu and whimpered, "Not fair, mate. You caught me off guard on that round."

"Hey! Jay and Aura!" Raichu flipped onto her feet and bounded over to them. "Yo minna! C'mere, I wantcha to meet some buddies of mine! They both just got back from Treasure Town!" Before either could protest she darted around behind them and shoved them over. She went over to the slim-bodied Pokemon and slapped his shoulder heartily. "This here's Khalil, and the dang fastest Quilava you'll ever meet."

A grin parted Khalil's face, and his flames retracted into their vents. "Aye, mate, and as ever as likely a cove as ever pirated Gummi's from Miz Kangaskhan's galley."

Raichu shoved him playfully, sending him backwards into a snow dune. "C'mon, crazy, drop the accent!"

"Aw, man, you had to get me even wetter..." Khalil complained, now speaking normally. Raichu ignored his comment and dashed over to the blue rabbit Pokemon.

"And this is Azerie, onna my friends since childhood," Raichu introduced, leaning back on her heels and bracing the flat of her tail blade against the ground for support. "Also known as Underwater Sprint champion of Turtleshell Pond, and a born poet since kingdom come!"

Azerie twitched. "Kingdom come would mean death, mate," she said, and brushed the snowball off of her head. "And I didn't come around back for the fun of a snow fight. In the name of Water Float, you do have a knack for getting a soul sidetracked..."

"Aw, c'mon..." Raichu drooped her ears, giving Azerie Igglybuff eyes. Fortunately, Azerie was spared having to give in.

"Aurelia. Jay."

Alakazam had appeared behind them. "Follow me," he ordered. "The two of you are needed at the Square."

"Is it...about what happened yesterday?" Jay asked, hesitating a little.

Alakazam shook his head. "No. Though this situation is just as urgent...if not more so." So saying, he walked off towards Pokemon Square, effortlessly cutting through the snowbanks with his psychokinesis. Aura and Jay exchanged a glance, then followed after him.

"Later, guys," Raichu called, sounding kinda deflated.

Aura suddenly stopped. Wait...had Alakazam just called her _Aurelia?_ What did that mean? Did he maybe know something about her past?

"Aura!" Jay called. "Are you coming?"

"Oh...yes." Aura shook her head and ran to catch up with them. It probably didn't mean anything important, she realized. Many people often called Pokemon by their full names instead of nicknames. Perhaps Alakazam had just guessed on what her real name had been.

No need for concern.

--

As it turned out, they met up with Charizard, Tyranitar, and Jack over at the Pelipper Post office. As well as Razor and a short female Tyranitar, the latter with drastic coloration differences--rather than the usual green, her rocky armor was a dark dusty tan with a diamond-shaped section of dull rust red on her front. Also, the spikes on her back and shoulders were considerably shorter than those of Tyranitar of Team A.C.T.; but she looked no less deadly.

Razor had been pacing in front of the Bulletin Board, nibbling on a root, but stopped when Alakazam led Aura and Jay over. "So you brought them," she said simply.

Alakazam nodded. "They have a right to know of this as well. I would not have brought them here without good reason."

"And, oh yeah, by the way...ONE OF US frankly still has no clue what the heck 'this' would mean," Jack said impatiently.

"Quiet." Razor turned and cuffed him on the back of the head. "You'll be finding out."

Charizard nodded his agreement. "Tell them," he said to Alakazam.

Alakazam was silent as he fixed his stare on Jay, Jack, and Aura. Then he spoke.

"The Frosty Forest...has been destroyed."

There was another silence, broken after four seconds by Jack.

"What do you mean, destroyed?" he asked cynically. "That place is a dungeon. Even all the rescue teams working together couldn't--"

"More spectacular things have happened," the female Tyranitar interupted him harshly. "Even some Pupitar have been known to easily change entire landscapes with one sweep of a Hyper Beam. No place, dungeon or not, can avoid demolition in the end."

"Rayne's right," Razor said. "Frosty Forest is the proof of that."

"That is not the end of the matter, however," Alakazam continued. "Even more concerning than the cause of the disaster itself is the toll taken. The forest' guardian--Articuno, the legendary warder of ice--is believed to have been killed in the chaos."

"What?!" Jay cried. "Who would have the power to kill one of the legendaries?!"

"Articuno?" Aura was lost. "I don't think I remember anything about a Pokemon named that..."

"If you've ever heard of it," Tyranitar said. "Very few Pokemon have actually seen Articuno for themselves. It's said to be one of the three legendary bird Pokemon--the Avian elements, some would say. There've been some cases were a Pokemon has been able to confront Articuno in battle and defeat it, but it would take one of particularly immense strength to kill it."

"Or maybe just a Pokemon strong as it," Jack muttered.

The entire group turned to face him.

"You're insinuating that you know something about this?" Rayne asked him.

"No, I'm just saying..."

"But he's on the right track. I can see what he means," Razor said. "I'm betting this was the work of another legendary Pokemon. Most likely--I'm not saying for a fact, merely theorizing--that Moltres may have been responsible. Moltres is another Avian," she explained to Aura, "and a warrior of flames. The legendary birds are constantly rivaling with each other, having even competed over territory at one point or another. Moltre's domain is closer to Articuno's than that of Zapdos--it makes sense that he may have decided to get rid of one of his rivals once and for all."

"It is probable," Alakazam agreed. "But we should not jump to conclusions without having the complete details firsthand. I propose that a group of our numbers dispatch to Mount Blaze to look into this matter."

"I'll--" Aura began to say, but was cut off by Razor.

"I can take the clan and head to Mount Blaze," the Sceptile said. "Every member in our group has their fair shair of experience in battle. Moltres should agree to hear us out and tell us what we want to know--hopefully we can avoid a battle."

"If I can jump in, I'd like to point something out from what you just said," Charizard said. "As you said yourself, your clan consists entirely of seasoned fighters. If Moltres were to be faced with such a band, there's a very high chance that he may be intimidated and decide to attack straightaway."

Alakazam nodded. "My suggestion would be that you take as few members as possible for the journey. Then Moltres will not suspect that it is being led into a trap."

Hearing them talk, Aura's heart began to sink. After the disaster that had happened yesterday, she would have appreciated a chance to redeem herself; prove that she wasn't just a reckless idiot.

_Oh, you'll be going,_ a voice said in her mind.

"What?" Aura blinked and looked around. "Who said...?"

The other Pokemon all turned to look at her. "Aura? What's up?" Jay asked.

Aura shook her head. "I thought I heard someone say that...no. Never mind. It's nothing."

Razor shrugged. "Alright, I'll take a couple people from the clan and head out to Mount Blaze. But I just have to say, I have a feeling that this is only the start of something way bigger. We're all in this pretty deep."

Aura had to admit...she was right.

TBC...


	16. NOTICE: Update on Ch 14!

**Just an FYI, but I have made a change to the prophecy. Take a look and see if you can find what I added.**

**Isn't it fun being confused? :p Whee!**


	17. Chapter 16: New Neighbor! Problems

**Here it is! The latest installment--as well as the introduction of another major character! :P**

**And just FYI: Stuff in "quotation marks" is normal speech. Stuff in _(italics and parentheses)_ is telepathy. Just plain old _italics_ (marked at beginning and end with a line of dashes) is a flashback. To clear up the confusion**.

--

**Ch. 16**

"Charizard's plan is a good one--Razor and I will take Shinbashi with us to investigate. That way we'll be able to travel lighter, but can have an upper hand if it comes to a battle. The rest of the clan will stay here until we get back, and NOT do anything drastic." Rayne looked pointedly at Jack as she spoke. Jack scowled and opened his mouth to protest.

"Aw, man, that's a bunch of cr--"

"DO NOT QUESTION ME, JACK," Rayne growled. In her rage, the air around the Tyranitar seemed to become tense with a near-electric charge. Then she quickly regained her composure, causing the tension to disappear. "Think of it as a high difficulty dojo maze; you can't take part in this now, but as time goes on you'll develop the strength to partake in it. The same goes for missions like these."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Lame cliche', Rayne. You really drove the point home there." But all the same, he sat back on his haunches, giving a moody sigh.

"Returning to the situation at hand--Razor, have your team stop at the crossroads outside of this village before you go. I will be there to aid you in further working out a strategy. But first..." he turned his stare on Jay. "I must work with Jay and Aurelia on something else for our benefit."

The Trapinch and Riolu looked at him, caught off guard. "Wh...?" Jay started to ask.

Alakazam's answer must have been guarded, because he answered them not with speech, but with telepathy. _(There are certain matters that I must share with the two of you alone. I shall tell all in due time--but this is not the time.)_ "Now come."

Puzzled, he looked back at the older Pokemon, as if they could provide an answer. Razor just shrugged cluelessly, as did Charizard. Tyranitar was perhaps the only one to be able to respond.

"No, none of us knows what is on his mind right now. We can just trust that it's something incredibly important. Now go on."

"...Iya...guess we might as well." Jay hesitated, but then nudged Aura. "C'mon, let's follow him."

--

After a while he had to ask:

"Um...Alakazam? Are we still in it for what happened yesterday?"

Alakazam shook his head, prompting an audible sigh of relief from both Jay and Aura. "No. In my concern that is past misfortune. It can't be changed, it is not worth going on about. Rather, there is a troubling bit of information that I have recently uncovered. If it is to be interpreted accurately, I may need the aid of two sharp, young minds." He corrected himself. "Or rather, three young minds, as you shall soon see when I introduce you to an acquaintance of mine." The Psychic Pokemon suddenly turned off of the path, heading deeper into the snow-blanketed woods, and parted a screen of bushes to the side to reveal a small cave in the side of a rock wall. After a short pause he ducked inside. Jay impulsively started to inch forward but jumped, startled by a quiet voice that broke the silence.

"You've brought visitors, Alakazam."

"Correct." Alakazam's telepathy entered their minds once again. _(Aurelia, Jay. Enter.)_

Jay blinked but unquestioningly did as he was told. The brittle thorns of the bush cover rattled dryly over his shell as he entered, and as an afterthought he concentrated and used his psychokinesis to pull the bushes aside for Aura, so her fur wouldn't get caught.

"Thanks," Aura said. He nodded and let the bushes fall in place once she was in. Then they heard the voice again.

"Ah, I see. A northern Riolu and a sierra highlands Trapinch." The speaker nodded--he seemed calm enough, though he spoke with a pained rasp in his voice. "Both noble species, Pokemon which I have not seen the likes of since the Aoris was disbanded in my childhood."

Jay immediately liked this soft-spoken but polite Pokemon. The term 'Aoris' wasn't ringing any bells in his memory, though. "Thanks, sir. But what's the...?"

"An underground membership of paladins, warriors, and fugitives," Alakazam explained, "dedicated to the ultimate safety of their realms and, but mostly standing against any injustices the Rescue Team Organization may have occasionally made; the Alliance of Resistance In the Square. Though they were driven away and officially banned from continuing their activites, there are rumors circulating that they still continue to operate in secret. Luma, my friend, forgive me. I regret not being able to reach you earlier after you were found this morning."

"It's fine. Your priority is the village--I respect that. I'm happy to see that you are still well after all these years." 'Luma' bowed his head in acknowledgement. He was a blue-furred, vaguely fox-like Pokemon, bearing a white collar of webbing around his neck, light yellow fin-like ears, and slanted, diamond shaped black eyes. Another yellow fin resembling his ears was on his head resting in closed position, behind which a blue ridge of webbing ran along the length of his spine and to the center of the end of his tail. The tail itself was quite impressive; slim yet muscular, ending in a powerful two-spaded fin. And yet despite the presence of obvious strength emanating from him, it was plain to see he was injured. Jay could only guess at whatever Pokemon had nearly sliced Luma's back open--two deep, ragged gashes trailed down from the center of his shoulder blades, blood still darkening his fur. Someone had already bandaged the injury, wrapping a cloth tightly around the width of the front half of his body--presumably Alakazam, given the professional neatness of the bandage.

"It seems introductions are necessary," Alakazam said, bringing him out of his observations. "Luma, these two children are Aurelia and Jay--a talented pair of Pokemon that may be able to help us solve this cipher. Now both of you, this Vaporeon you see here is Luma. He is an orphan; I had looked out for him many times when he was a kit. Moreover...he is a refugee from the Frost Forest, and the one who informed me of that disaster."

He saw Aura's ears stand straight up. "You mean...you were able to survive whatever happened there?" she asked. He could tell that she was a little awed.

"Yes, but hardly." Luma shifted his position slightly, flinching and hissing in a sharp breath. Jay winced in sypmathy upon sensing his pain. "I was going to dive into the river to escape, but a falling boulder caught my back pretty badly. When I next woke up I was half immobilized on the bank not too far from here, with Alakazam standing over me. It was only with his help that I even got as far as this cave."

"I could not risk his safety by taking him into the village," Alakazam explained. "Luma's studies has resulted in a history of conflicts with the Rescue Team Organization, even to the point of his exile from Pokemon Square. His appearance would have placed him in even greater danger--I could not let that happen to him, after swearing to his father that I would look out for him."

Jay blinked and looked over to find that Aura was equally shocked. Alakazam, the leader of Team A.C.T., an elite Pokemon...he was hiding an outlaw?!

"But...Alakazam? What are you going to do when--I mean, if--the RTO finds out you have him?" Jay was incredibly worried. "They blacklist or arrest people for helping exiles!"

Alakazam's demeanor turned grim, causing a chill to creep down his spine. "Yes. If it were truly going against the law, then you may rest assured that I would accept the full consequences for my actions. However, I have reason to believe that not all is as it seems."

"Huh?" Aura blinked.

"In past years some...oddities...have arisen in the organization's behavior. More and more rescue teams have been demerited or permanently disbanded for less severe acts, and several Pokemon--yes, even villagers--have been driven away for seemingly no reason. There is also another disturbing bit of news that arouses my concern." Alakazam paused for a moment. "You are aware that Weavile had been in prison since my team and I interogated her?"

Jay's eyes widened a bit. "No..."

"Of course, it would have been too soon for you to find out. My apologies. But I dread to have to tell you that Weavile is now out and on the loose again."

Jay could have sworn his heart missed a beat. The same Pokemon who had just tried to kill him and his friends?! And she was free again? There was no way he could stay calm when there was the possiblity that Weavile might try to kill him again--

"Wait a minute." Aura's voice cut into his thoughts. "She broke out? Or was she released?"

"I had asked that myself." Alakazam seemed disturbed. "I enquired about the matter as soon as I found out--the organization denies all claims of having ever held Weavile in the first place. Even when I searched the records myself there was no explanation; the arrest warrant may as well have never been issued for the evidence I found. However, a few eyewitness accounts from some of the villagers report that Weavile had been seen fleeing from the Square alongside two Pokemon. Presumably these are the accomplices that helped her escape."

"And...these Pokemon were...?" Jay asked. He HAD to know. After all, if this Weavile really was part of a group, then he might be targeted by not one but several Pokemon. He would need to be on the look out.

"You already know one of them. He is Bannette of the Nightshade cult."

Bannette...Jay racked his mind. Wait! He remembered! That one ghost! The one who'd ganged up on him and Jack when they'd first arrived, and then attacked Aura!

"The identity of the other is unknown," Alakazam continued. "It is said to be a dark-furred canine Pokemon of some sort."

"And you're...certain...that she was definitely arrested?" Luma spoke up for the first time in a while.

"Of course. We had brought her in ourselves."

"I see. And so, you fear that there may be a traitor working from within the organization?"

"There may or may not be a connection with the dungeon happenings," Alakazam said. "That is why, to help our research, I have brought Aurelia and Jay. Though hardly four years younger than yourself, Luma, Jay is an incredibly bright Pokemon, having trained under his father Flygon, and has an extensive knowledge of legends and local history. And, if we can find a way to somehow uncover Aurelia's memories, there may be a chance that she will remember something of value."

"Wait, research?" Aura asked, confused.

"Yes." Luma nodded and stumbled to his feet, wincing again but remaining upright.

"You shouldn't strain your wound, Luma," Alakazam immediately said. "You still have quite a ways to heal.

Luma shook his head. "Nah. You know me, Alakazam. I've sustained worse when I was an Eevee. In any case," he said to Aura and Jay, "we will soon be heading to Alakazam's headquarters to search for any possible reason why this is all happening. We'd be grateful if you would come along, for even me and Alakazam working together may not be enough for this mystery."

--

Team Zakuro was having their own problems.

It wasn't just their supplies running low that had Blaziken and the others worried. The weather, for one, was a main source of trouble--snow had finally reached Delta Pass after however many weeks. Blaziken had already broken his hand in a previous fight with a Graveler, and being a Fire-type Pokemon the combined snow, cold, and general fatigue were causing his wound to throb agonizingly and weakening him to the point where he could hardly breathe fire any more. He'd also developed a bad cough, and could only hope it wouldn't develop into worse, namely, pneumonia; if that were to happen, it would definitely be fatal for him.

He could easily tell just how worried his leader was but was still trudging stubbornly on. Besides, Dai was already driving herself to the point of exhaustion caring for the ever-present tagalongs, Teddiursa and Tedi. He didn't know why, but for some reason she seemed to feeling extremely guilty for their predicament, and had so far gone out of her way to keep they safe and healthy, constantly feeding them Oran berries to keep their health up--she'd tried to get him and Absol to eat some, but Blaziken had refused with the excuse that she and the siblings needed them more--and even sacrificing her Pecha Scarf for the siblings to share for warmth. As expected the stress and weather were getting to her. Her fur was now dull and scruffed, and she'd developed a raging fever that was slowing her reflexes. It was only in the late nights, on those rare occasions when they could find the luck to make a small campfire, that she stopped to rest, and even then only briefly. Blaziken would look over to see her curled protectively around Tedi and her brother, sleeping fitfully as she shielded them from the elements with her own body, and wonder how on earth she was still going. She was still gullible at times and a bit of a wuss, yeah, but her inner strength was just flat-out astonishing.

Absol doubtlessly was much better off. Well, sure, he was thin and weary from hunger, but unlike his team members he had not yet succumbed to illness and was still going strong. As Dai's condition started to fall, he had stepped up to take charge, handling the majority of navigation and battling, and fueling them on with a constant stream of bright, smart-aleck comments and jokes. At night he had begun to stay awake longer, alternately lying down next to either Blaziken or Dai to shield them with his own body heat. It was clear he was trying, and as the days passed Blaziken began to see a gentler, leaderly side to his rival that he had not known existed.

Unfortunately the rescue mission wasn't over yet. Yes, they'd found the majority of the missing teams and Pokemon, but something was clearly going on. Upon finding two of ElementGem's members, a Meganium and a Swampert, three days earlier, Blaziken had only needed one look at their condition to tell something was up. This was reinforced when the leader, a Charizard named Angel, could not be found.

Swampert had spoken in the place of her Meganium partner while pressing a Zinc Band to her bleeding arm fin. Apparently the trio had been attacked without warning by several Pokemon of unknown species. A violent struggle had ensued, quickly ending in herself and Meganium getting knocked out and an unconscious Angel being dragged away. All they remembered about Angel was that her right wing had been broken and shredded pretty badly--nothing that could point to her location. Dai's face had been pale and taut with worry as she'd used an Escape Orb to send the two partners back to the Square for medical attention. The message passed loud and clear between them all: What on earth was happening to these Pokemon?

Shortly afterwards their part-time guide of Delta Pass, Quagsire, had left. Upon reaching a large stretch of flatlands divided by a huge river he'd stopped squarely at the bank and refused to go any farther. He'd insisted, "No, not safe here, hurr. Too dangerous; many Quags lost here b'fore, both liddle and old. Be sorry 'bout leaving, but ee have no more to help, no choice." With this he had slapped his paddle-like tail respectfully against the ground, then dived into the river and taken off down a tributary leading back the way they'd just come. So now they were pretty much left to search Delta Pass with no extra pointers for where the remaining teams were.

At one point Blaziken woke up to see Absol asleep next to Dai, who in turn was curled up with paws tucked underneath her as always. Something was different, though...after looking around he realized what it was. Tedi and Teddiursa were not in sight.

He wrapped the spare Power Band--his makeshift bandage--tighter around his broken hand. Automatically an overwhelming wave of pain shot up his arm.

"Son of a b--" He hissed in a sharp, pained breath, doubling over and fighting back tears as the sheer pain alone left him immobilized. Ten seconds passed before he was able to sit up again, and he stretched his leg over to carefully nudge Dai's side.

"Dai."

She twitched, moaned quietly, and squinted fuzzily up at him.

"The kids...they're gone."

Dai looked groggily at him for a few seconds. Then she nodded. "Yes," she rasped. "I...sent them home."

He blinked. "Why..."

"I didn't earlier because...because I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do." She sounded on the verge of tears. "You heard them--they don't have any parents they can go to. No _family_. At least when they were with us they had somebody to look out for them and keep them safe. But I...I can't drag them through a place like this. I just can't, Blaze--it's not right." She shook her head. "Blaziken, how could I have been so stupid? I should have gotten them home as soon as I found them following us. There's _safety_ at the Square. How will I ever forgive myself if something hurt them because they were here?"

Blaziken said nothing, not sure what he _could_ say, watching tears slide down Dai's face. It wasn't like her to break down like this. She was almost always an image of optimism and graceful composure--when she wasn't spazzing out over one of Absol's pranks, anyways. It had been years since she'd let herself go like this...

He realized that if they ever did leave Delta Pass alive, Dai might never be the same.

TBC...


	18. Chapter 17: Ghost of a Mystery

**Sigh…You know, I really. Really. REALLY. Hate. Being grounded….but on the upside, I now have most of the entire plot up to Chapter 33 planned out! (Of course, it may be subject to change…) OH! And I finally, FINALLY got to get my own copy of ****World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade****! So now I can finally play as a blood elf! (after I get my English grade up, that is…) Isn't that great? Aren't you jealous?! Eheheeh…^0^ **

**Razor: ….one of these days somebody's going to smack you, kid.**

**Err-hem. Anyways. I present to you now the 17****th**** chapter of Dawn Guardians.**

Chapter 17: Ghost of a Mystery

Aura was impressed by the place they'd been brought to. Though built entirely out of pale gray stone, the way in which the A.C.T. team base had been built was virtually flawless, a massive domed building with narrow, slitted windows near the top to allow light inside. The majority of the headquarters was one large central room, from which a few hallways branched off leading to unknown locations. It all had been built with minimalist purpose and function, save for one thing—nearly an entire wall had been hewn and formed into rows of stone shelves, which were laden with a proficiently organized wealth of books and scrolls, seemingly ancient but kept in good condition.

The size alone of the library was somewhat intimidating. It hadn't hit her earlier, but now Aura realized that their search might take an incredibly long time.

"Awestruck?" Luma had limped over to stand at her side and was staring at the bookshelves. "When I was a kit I used to come here, and spent hours absorbed in this. It was all fascinating to me, and pretty soon I just started staying here on a daily basis so I could get as much studying done as possible. If I had a question, I would more often than not find the answer here. Still, I was pretty put off by how much material was here—I never did get around to reading it all."

Aura nodded. "I guess I can understand how you would be daunted. It would probably take a month at least to go through this by yourself."

There was no more opportunity for conversation. Alakazam and Jay had joined them by now. The former was the first to speak.

"I believe it best that we narrow down our search to as few tracks as possible," he said as Jay carefully shook snow off of his shell. "After careful thinking I have identified two subjects that may provide us with answers: Delta Pass, for its connection to the disappearances, and the history of the Nightshade Clan, due to their sudden appearance in our Square. Fortunately both topics are extensively covered by only two known Pokemon, so it may not be long before we can uncover the mystery. Tell me, Aurelia." He suddenly looked at her. "When you were assaulted by Banette, his attack was one of unusual strength, correct?"

Aura shuddered at the memory of the agony from the nightmare flashes she'd experienced under the ghost's darkness. "Yes…I didn't expect so much from that," she mumbled. She saw no need to point out that she technically had only been attacked because she'd accidentally wandered in the way.

"Actually, it's probably not a surprise that you were in so much pain. The Nightshade cult has long been known for their incessant drain of energy from the Dark World to add to their power, Banette being one such practitioner. Not much is known about their techniques or principles, save for the facts that they obviously make great use of trickery and ambush, and that the entire cult operates in the shadow of a greater deity called the Lifebane."

Without reason, Aura's thoughts snapped back to the dream she'd had that morning.

- - -

_"From thine own time, thee has traveled  
All memory struck and banished--mercy, or penance?  
Light and darkness, one and the same  
Thus thee is granted with power of the unreal  
Curse of the Lifebane...Fate of the Heir...  
Thus both shall become revealed and decided  
For both have awakened, and cannot be one..."_

_- - -_

That was why this "Lifebane" had sounded so familiar! Now she realized that there may have been some significance to what she'd heard after all.

"Can you tell us more about it?" she asked. "This…creature?"

Alakazam shook his head. "There is frustratingly little information on it. Even the two scholars specifically studying it were unable to find out much about it, despite their hard work. Therefore, why the cult would follow it is also unknown—we may instead need to look at the history of Delta Pass in order to find any links."

"Delta Pass?" Now Aura was confused. What did Nightshade have to do with the place? "Wait…I don't get—" her paw slipped on a chunk of half-melted snow, causing her to yelp and fall backwards into a shelf. Her spine and head banged hard against the stone, causing her vision to fill with stars. Unfortunately the impact brought a good deal of books crashing down on her. Jay started from surprise and shot back a bit to avoid getting caught in the mess.

A minute passed before Aura's head stopped swirling. She timidly opened an eye to see Alakazam looking directly at her.

"Um…sorry," she apologized sheepishly and carefully extricated herself from the avalanche of printed material. "I'll put them back."

To her complete and total surprise—possibly the others', too—Alakazam laughed.

"No harm, Aurelia, no harm," he told her, sounding amused. "You may take no blame onto yourself. I was merely recalling that the fall you took just now was not too different from Luma's misfortunes when he was younger. Isn't that right, my friend?" Luma flushed red under his fur and looked down at the floor.

"Sorry," Aura apologized again, and turned and knelt to pick up the books. As she stacked the books in her paws, Alakazam resumed what he'd been saying.

"You've heard of Delta Pass as being a dungeon. However, this wasn't always the case—as a matter of fact, it used to be home to a great village. A society of warriors, if you will; it's even rumored that when the first disasters began to happen, it was the Pokemon of the Delta civilization that developed the idea of a fully trained rescue team to rescue those in need. However, the disasters quickly began to increase in violence, and once reached the valley the entire place was ravaged, forcing the civilians to relocate elsewhere. Eventually the forces were scattered, unable to reconnect with each other, and after years of inhospitality Delta Pass eventually came to pass only as a faint memory in the minds of the next few generations...supposedly."

"Supposedly…?" Jay questioned, then blinked in dawning realization. "Oh…Nightshade, right?"

"Correct. For centuries the cult had operated in the region, until recently, when they were believed to have been dispersed for good. However, there were still rumors that they had continued to work underground. One such Pokemon who had studied their ways and worked towards their end was a seer and scholar named Mismagius—she prophesized that a day would come when their idol, the Lifebane, would be resurrected at their hands. Mismagius was well known for her accurate predictions and understanding of the unknown, if not for her…well…eccentricities. After all, she did have a reputation of hiding facts within riddles. There are still some that remain unsolved today."

"Like the 'Seaside Willow Mystery,'" Jay and Luma chimed in unison. Aura blinked, as usual not sure what they were talking about. Seeing her expression, Alakazam silently retrieved a book from the shelves and opened it to a specific page before handing it to her.

On display was a duplicate of a portrait, mostly in dark tones of violet and blue. Though obviously reduced from the original size of the work, the portrait still was big enough that it took up both pages. It took her a while to decipher that there was a figure in the dark murk—a somewhat paler blur of shadows that vaguely took the shape of a figure clad in a cloak and sorcerer's hat…with a collar of smooth elliptical garnets around its neck, and topaz eyes.

Aura sucked in a harsh breath upon realizing who it was.

"It's…_her!"_ she blurted out without thinking.

In the next second she had everybody staring at her in shock.

"…Aura? You…how do know…?" Jay was clearly confused.

"She…I saw her in a dream last night," Aura confessed, though she was starting to get a feeling that maybe she shouldn't have said anything. She couldn't get herself to stop once she was started, though. "What she told me didn't make much sense, but I think it had something to do with the disasters, and that my memory loss is somehow connected to tapping into other dimensions or realms…it's all so fuzzy right now, so I don't really know if she said anything that could help us."

Alakazam's brow furrowed in concern, and he opened his mouth as if to speak.

He never got a chance. Without warning the door suddenly swung open, spilling a trio of Pokemon onto the floor in a tangled heap of fur, tails, and paws. Startled, Aura leaped back, accidentally dropping some of the books again. Then she recognized a certain, orange puffball, and sighed.

"Raichu…"

The mouse Pokemon blinked, getting a sheepish look identical to both those of Azerie and Khalil. _Busted!_ "…um…boo?" she offered lamely.

Aura sighed again and reached over, grabbing Raichu's leg and helping to drag her out of the tangled mess. "How long were you there?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"About ten minutes," Khalil piped up, squirming out from underneath Azerie. "But man, it took us a freaking long time to get here. Ever try wading through snow up to your waist when you're a fire-breathing mammal? I'll tell you now, it's flipping hard!" he said ever so cheerfully.

After about a second of silence the others turned to Azerie, as if awaiting her explanation. The aqua rabbit nervously coughed. "Don't…don't look at me, mates. I wanted nothing doing with it, I swear, but these coves near bound me tail and paw to drag me here. Float me tail, I'm telling the truth, or I don't belong to the holt of Springwelling."

"Okay, you guys do realize the whole point of our coming out here was to keep this secret, right?" Jay asked them rhetorically. "I mean, we were trying to keep this stuff from as many people as possible."

"Oh, so you mean, like, secret conspiracy stuff!" Raichu's expression perked up considerably. "Sweet! We'll help!"

"Uh, no, actually…"

Raichu seemed not to hear him and continued rambling on, wandering over to the bookshelf. "I remember this one time, me and Khalil and Tom once had to search through half of Treasure Town's university records to try and find out why everybody was disappearing—that was just like this! Right, Khalil? And then there was that time when…wow, this thing's pretty big," she commented blankly, staring at the wall-sized library. "And anyways, we also got to help that one scholar solve that Hidden Land mystery. That was before our team went up in rank—before then we were just plain old Diamond Rank—"

Jay sat down hard.

"You…why didn't you tell us…you mean you were on an _exploration team?_" he stammered, stunned out of his wit.

Raichu blinked, turning to face him. "You didn't ask…" she said in a somewhat small voice.

"But yep, that's right!" Khalil grinned and sat back on his haunches. "Back in the old day, before we ever came to the Square and met Dai and everyone, we were formally known as Team Storm. We weren't too bad, either, if I say so…but then our _leader_ retired early. Wanted to live a 'normal' live as a 'normal' citizen, or some other reason like that." He shifted his gaze ever so slightly to Raichu as he spoke, implying as to the identity of the "somebody" he was mentioning. Raichu grinned back at him before looking at the books again.

"Anyways, returning to why we were here," he spoke again. "We saw you guys and Alakazam, and a Vaporeon heading to the base, and…oh." He blinked upon seeing Luma. "Speak of Diglett. Hi. So we got curious, and, frankly, decided to eavesdrop."

"'We' being you and Raichu, remember, matey," Azerie reminded him, straightening out her ears, which had become somewhat lopsided in the tumble. "I wanted nothing to do with it!"

He prodded her side, causing her to give a startled 'meep!' "You were just as curious as us, and you know it," he told her, grinning. Aura frowned and was about to say something, but Alakazam motioned for her to leave it be.

"Well, it is in the past. Nothing can be done about this…intrusion…at the moment. We may as well accept their help," he told her. "Besides, Raichu's experience may be of some help to us."

"I was thinking the same thing," Luma agreed. He then looked over at Raichu. The former leader of Exploration Team Storm…the image of hyperactive, air-headed Raichu as someone of such stature was a little mind-boggling for all of them, even Luma, and he had only met her for five minutes. "So there is you and Khalil, and…'Tom'…but when did you meet Azerie?" he asked quietly, apparently trying to keep a light mood.

"Ne…I think it was right after we graduated from the Training guild?" Raichu answered, and looked over at Khalil for confirmation. Upon receiving a nod she continued, "She was one of our first clients once we received our certification. We were escorting her through Mt. Avalanche, as part of her training—oh, yeah, she was an apprentice, learning to become a professor. And she's been with us ever since!" she finished happily.

Azerie smiled fondly, petting the sphere on the end of her tail. "Aye, mate, great memories. Never had a greater time in my life than that mission. It was my first meeting with a real, able-bodied crew. Greatest blessing in my life was me messmates here."

Aura looked up to see that Khalil and Raichu had gotten identical smiles, the latter waving her tail slowly in reminiscent memory.

Jay seemed to finally recover, getting to his feet.

"Well," he said, wandering over to join Raichu and Luma at the bookshelves, "I guess we'd better get cracking on this, or winter will _really_ be here before we finish."

- - -

Aura could hardly believe that it had only been one day. It must have been close to midnight, and they still had no answers.

Raichu had, expectedly, been the first to konk out at the farther side of the room, and was quickly joined by Azerie. Alakazam had gone to retrieve a Luminous Orb to provide light for them to work by, and so was currently not in sight. Luma's shoulder had stiffened terribly and was greatly hindering his movements, so Jay had teamed up with him to help fetch and replace readings—this was fortunate, because it turned out that the remaining two Pokemon had no patience at all when it came to hours of silent reading. Aura had quickly grown restless and resorted to pacing endlessly back and forth, while Khalil's own efforts, which had started quite honestly, had ended with him sprawling on his back and idly drumming his paws on the floor in boredom. Aura repeatedly had to step over him after every circuit, and could catch random snatches of what he was mumbling.

"Pfft, this is even crazier than the Hidden Land. Mist Magix couldn't figure this out, so how is anybody gonna?" He sat up briefly to scratch behind an ear, then twisted around and flopped onto his stomach. Seeing how he winced in regret afterwards, Aura made a mental note to herself never to flop onto stone floors—it didn't seem pleasant.

Alakazam came back a second later, carrying a translucent violet colored orb in his hand. Setting the orb on one of the shelves, he kept his hand on it for a brief moment, feeding a small current of psychic energy into it. In response the orb began emitting a soft, faintly pulsating light, causing Aura to blink a little as her vision adjusted to the change.

The wizened psychic sighed as he turned back to the group. "I'm afraid the records I do have are somewhat limited," he apologized. "I haven't been able to add much to it after some years ago—with all that is going on in the world as of late, it has been hard for any professor to find time to properly publish their findings."

Khalil bolted into a sitting position, gawping at the wall-sized library. "This is what you call _limited?"_ He let out a low whistle and slid over to sit with his back against the wall. "Man. I'd hate to see what 'big' looks like."

Jay had been looking for a particular book Luma had requested. Upon finally locating it he somehow managed to get it down—perhaps with his powers?—and took a quick glance inside. Disappointment, however, soon appeared on his face, and he placed it back where it had been. "Nothing much here either, Luma," he said a little apologetically. "It's only about the myth of the lake ghost at Wyvern Hill."

Luma blinked, looking almost sheepish. "Oh…sorry. I thought for sure it was something that would help us…I guess I was thinking about something else. It was written by one of the professors from Treasure Town, I think. Was it Ismené Botaneris…that Bellossom…?" he wondered this last line mostly to himself for a moment, then shrugged as well as he could with his bust shoulder. "Anyways, sorry again."

"Don't be." Jay yawned. "I mean, yeah, I really am dog tired, but it's okay."

Aura noticed then that Jay wasn't the only one becoming weary. Luma's head had gradually dropped onto his front paws, his eyes half-closing in a sort of daze, and even Alakazam seemed a little out of sorts. Funny, Aura thought, he didn't seem like the type that would need much sleep…

Oops. Fatigue gave you funny thoughts, she decided. It occurred to her then just how late it really was—so late, in fact, that it was early.

"I don't think we're going to get much else done tonight," she said. "At least not half-asleep. We should probably head home now and keep this up tomorrow…well, actually, in the daytime, I mean." Considering that it was already past midnight.

Alakazam nodded. "Yes. Of course." A pale field of energy formed around him as he made a small movement with his hand. Some books that were stacked on the floor nearby rose and levitated into their proper places. "Luma, if you have no means of shelter at the moment, I invite you to stay here for the time being. You can feel free to call our headquarters your home for as long as you wish."

Luma bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you. I know I'm causing you all a lot of problems just by being here, and I respect what you have done for me."

"No, not a problem at all. I just wish you could have been able to return under better circumstances." Alakazam sighed.

Aura exchanged a brief, worried look with Jay. It still unsettled them that Alakazam was harboring a wanted fugitive…

"…will you be able to get home okay, Jay?" Aura asked him, attempting to change the topic. "You still look like you're about to collapse."

"What? …oh. Yeah." Jay lost a fight against a rising yawn. "I'm not going back to Furnace Desert, though. My dad's old place is only a few minutes away, and I'm so not in the mood right now to shovel however many inches of snow out of my burrow."

"Join the club, bud. We've got badges." Khalil shook himself before ambling over to his two sleeping friends in the corner. "Hey, you two, time to go." He prodded Azerie lightly on the shoulder, earning little more than a string of incoherent mumbling. After a second, however, she eventually slouched into a sitting position, a groggy expression on her face.

This seemed to satisfy him. "That works too, Az." He helped her to stand, then gently shook Raichu. "C'mon, Rai, you too. Wakey-wakey."

Raichu's tail twitched listlessly. This was pretty much the only reaction he got, though. Khalil's jaw clenched in clear frustration.

"_Hoi! Sparkachu! Up and at 'em, c'mon!"_ he shouted, jabbing her sharply on the forehead.

Raichu surprised them all by bursting out laughing. "Hahahahaha! Haha…oh." She blinked repeatedly, having woken herself up. "Oh. Uhh, morning…"

Aura eventually managed to smooth her startled fur back down. _She IS thick skulled!_ She thought in disbelief. _And she sleeps like a child!_

Amazingly, Raichu was already wide-awake, hopping to her feet. "Wow, we were out for a while, weren't we?" She laughed. "Well, we'll see y'all tomorrow!" She loped out of the door, followed by the Quilava and Azumarill.

Luma's eye twitched minutely. "Sometimes I can't help but worry about that one…" he muttered.

"You'll get used to it," everybody said in perfect unison. After a second Aura added, "She does have her moments, but don't underestimate her. The last Pokemon that tried messing with one of us ended up unconscious."

"She's right about that much. I was there," Jay agreed. "Anyways, I'll be going too. Bye, guys." With this he shuffled tiredly out.

Aura stayed for a while, helping to pick up the books. Luma got to his feet, carefully shaking himself while trying not to aggravate his wound. "You take care too, Aurelia," he said. "Stay out of trouble—I'm the role model for exactly how not to do so," he joked.

Despite herself, Aura couldn't help but grin. "Thank you. I'll come back tomorrow."

Alakazam nodded in acknowledgement, preoccupied with putting the books away. Aura gave the intimidating collection one last look before walking outside.

Immediately she was slammed by a shrieking wall of wind.

"What on earth--?!" Aura shouted in shock and reflexively pressed herself against the wall of the building. Though she hadn't noticed from inside, the snowfall had grown progressively heavier, finally becoming a full-fledge blizzard. The evidence was directly around her—she belatedly realized that the banks were now above her shoulder level. Anything above this was obscured by a screen of white.

In front of her she could just barely make out a forcibly-shoveled path, which was quickly filling up again in the storm. Wait a minute! Jay had left just two minutes ago! Wouldn't he have come back inside, or at least said something about this?

Automatically she began to get concerned. Had something maybe happened to her friend? She didn't know why he'd been silent about this, but…it couldn't be good. On impulse she began shoving her way through the snow, her only thought on finding the Trapinch.

The traveling was much harder than she expected. After only five minutes the snow had gotten so heavy that she had to use all her strength just to break through by a few inches, and had to keep stopping to briskly rub her aching and frozen muscles. She realized that there was a very real possibility here that she could freeze—maybe even die.

But if that possibility existed for her, then it also existed for Jay. If he was still out here, she had to find him. No exceptions.

She only wished her body would comply. Worn out from the short but arduous journey, she could hardly even move any more, almost paralyzed by fatigue and strain. Out of nowhere she suddenly remembered the water attack she had pulled off at the Relic. If she recalled correctly, it had required her to condense the moisture around herself…if only she could remember it now, maybe she could cut a path through more easily.

Aura's arms raised up in front of her—it was the same position she'd entered before, paws tilted slightly outwards from the wrists—but a wall had come down over the part of her mind that contained that power. By now she was unable to think clearly, and thus unable to use an attack of any kind. After a few moments she was forced to lower her arms again, remaining still for a few moments to try and regain her strength. Instead, her legs buckled underneath her, and she crumpled into a fetal position on the ground, unable to get back up as the snow began to quickly fill in around and above her.

No! NO! She had to stay awake! She had to find Jay.

_Stay…stay awake…_

She couldn't control it—her eyelids slowly fluttered shut, and she began to drift into the darkness of sleep, lulled further by the numbing cold.

Within minutes she was detached from her own reality.

TBC…


	19. Chapter 18: A Dark Dream Rain of Fire

Ch. 18: A Dark Dream; Rain of Fire

_She was in a dungeon. An actual dungeon, the kind you locked outlaws up in. This was a place for the evil Pokemon._

_She wasn't a bad Pokemon, though. Aura didn't know why she was here at all. All she did know was that she was hurt, sick, and scared. She had a fever and a bad cough, and the cuts on her body were stinging terribly in this cold, wet place. What was worst was her arm—it was almost sliced to the bone, and still soaked with her own blood. _

_She sniffled and curled up tighter, trying not to cry._

_She had to be brave. Brave like Father. Father would be here soon to get her out of here and hurt the people that had put her in here. He would hug her, and make her feel better, like he always did._

_He would come. He _had_ to come._

_There was suddenly a loud groaning sound as the door on the wall opposite her started to open. Like her cell, the door was made out of a damp, black stone, but even though it was groaning it seemed to be gliding smoothly over the ancient floor._

_She paled and cringed back against her wall, not wanting to see the Pokemon she knew was coming. As soon as she moved she was chafed again by the cold metal shackles around her wrists, making her already sore paws hurt further. How many days was it that she'd been chained up now? For the hundredth time she wondered—why was she even here? She hadn't done anything wrong!_

_With the room being as dark as it was, she could hardly see the Pokemon entering the cell—all she could make out was a slim, shadowed figure, watching her with oddly lit yellow eyes. Then behind him was a brief, limited glimpse of pale fur, like moonlight. This was all._

_The first figure looked behind him at the pale creature. "I won't be needing you here. Leave." The voice was cold and hard, as sharp as steel. He was responded by a quiet snarl, but all the same the other Pokemon slipped back out of view. Aura felt a chill creep down her back as the leader looked back at her._

Those eyes. Those creep eyes…

"_Enjoying your stay, I would presume?" The voice spoke again, having a clear hint of mockery to it. Aura stared at him, trying to make herself glare with moderate success, and not saying anything. "Well, not to worry. Only a few more days until we have your father here, and you'll no longer have to worry."_

"_No! You're wrong, Father will never let you—" Aura made herself shut up. _Don't say anything,_ she told herself in a rapid, desperate mantra. _Don't tell him anything. Be like Father.

_There was pain as a large pincer roughly grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look up into those eyes. "I hate to correct, Aurelia, but on the contrary. It's you who has the misconception. Your father isn't going to come for you. He's not going to do anything to help you. He will be killed for trying to destroy everyone. He is evil, and Lucario knows it. Your father will die here, just like you, and all the others."_

But…_ Aura swallowed. _

If he's evil, then why am I the one being punished?

- - - - -

Aura jolted awake, in a sweat and breathing rapidly. Automatically she tried to jump up but winced as her head hit something. While she'd slept the snow had covered her completely, leaving her trapped in a body-sized dome with very little air.

_She couldn't move!_

Claustrophobia caught her again, and a panicked scream tore itself from her throat before she could stop herself, thrashing blindly in an effort to free herself. The snow gradually started to fall away in small, wet chunks—but not nearly fast enough. Out of mounting terror her paw began to glow white, and she punched upwards, shattering her prison with a fierce Brick Break. Upon feeling fresh night air on her face she lashed out further, finally managing to haul herself into the open where she huddled into a little ball and silently freaked out for a moment.

As time passed she slowly managed to calm down, and looked shakily around herself. The blizzard must have ended while she was asleep, because she could clearly see the first strains of dawn light in the east sky.

Something then popped up in her mind, nagging quietly. How on earth could she have slept through a blizzard, right in the middle of the storm, and not have frozen to death? Any other Pokemon would be dead in her place, yet her only problem was an impending cold. So how could she still be alive?

Speaking of near death…her thoughts returned to the…vision…she'd woken up from just before launching into a panicked spazz attack. This…Pokemon, whoever it had been—he'd said she was going to be killed as punishment for something. But what? And…what he'd said about her father…

Who had he been talking about? Since she had no clear memory of any family, she could only go on the assumption that the Pokemon had been telling the truth about her father. But if he was right, that would mean that she…

_No. Stop it, Aura! Stop it!_ There was no evidence that the nightmare actually had any connection to her. It may have just been nothing more than a coincidence, for all she knew—but despite this, her thoughts returned for no good reason to the previous month, when she'd hidden in the back of Kangaskhan's warehouse. The Houndoom's words of an outlaw fugitive kept echoing in her head, with the sensation of having known him from the past growing stronger all the while.

Another image popped into her thoughts, this time of the wound on her arm. Again, she didn't know why, but it burned strongly in her mind. Then Aura realized why it was so important, at least for the moment.

Here was her answer, right here! If it really had happened to her, the scar would still be there, and if not…well, then what was she worrying about? She realized she was desperate for answers, yet she couldn't actually bring herself to look. Finally she slowly angled her head down towards her left arm, almost fearful of what she would see.

What she saw took her breath away, scaring her speechless.

It was faint, barely even there, but still visible nonetheless. A thin, pale line, visible through her short black wrist fur—a scar.

Exactly the same scar that had come from the gash she had seen in her nightmare.

In the middle of her terrifying revolution her foot suddenly sank further into the snow, stopping at mid-calf. Aura blinked, still a bit caught up in her stupor, and bent down to free her leg. Instead she just sank further down.

She realized, with a bit of confusion, that the snow had halfway melted into slush. _Was snow supposed to melt that fast…?_ She wondered. After all, three minutes ago it had been almost as stiff as rock. Straightening up to look around herself, she saw that the snow in the trees was falling to the ground in tiny wet clumps. She also became aware through her soaked fur that the air had warmed a little, though she was still shivering.

What was going on here? Now starting to feel nervous as well as greatly unsettled, Aura carefully extracted herself from the slush pit. Something very unnatural was happening here. Weather wasn't supposed to change as suddenly as this, or at least not this drastically.

Then the next phenomenon happened: The wind abruptly died down, silenced by an unseen force.

She felt her neck fur prickle in tension as an odd smell came to her. It smelled…burnt. Almost like…smoke? With a great feeling that something incredibly bad was about to happen, she turned to face east again. The pale light had grown a bit stronger, taking on a strange, dark orange tone. As she watched a thin, brilliant pinprick of light shot across the sky, like a shooting star. It was quickly followed by another, then two more. Unlike comets, though, the lights did not have a slanted path. Rather, they appeared to be falling in a perfectly vertical path, almost like rain, and did not die out the way shooting stars did. The strange lights continued to fall, seeming to grow closer, and all the while the temperature around her continued to rise, as did the smell of smoke…

With a sudden wave of renewed terror she realized that they weren't shooting stars. No, not stars at all.

_Fire._

This was the only thought she could have before chaos broke loose. Behind her the air burst in a horrible nova of light and flames, the force sending her flying and slamming into the ground a good fifteen feet away. Coughing, Aura straightened up to see that the tree behind her had exploded and was still blazing furiously. Almost immediately she felt a searing wave of heat, and instinct lead her to jump out of the way moments before a fireball lanced down into the spot where she'd just been lying. She could practically feel the shockwaves as another explosion buffeted her, quickly dying out to reveal almost the entire field burning. Obviously this…storm, whatever it was, had reached her.

She had to run. Now, before she was killed by the firestorm.

She hauled herself to her feet, stumbling as a vicious heat wave ripped through the area, and managed to get out of the clearing before the trees around her burst into flames. She realized that she was literally in the middle of a living hell—no matter how fast she ran Aura was continually battered by explosions, and more than once she had to hold back screams as fire seared her legs and back. In addition, the drastic increase in temperature was causing the heaps of snow to melt, running down the faint slope and taking ground with it. Within moments her fur was covered with ashes and splotches of mud. Worse, though, was the fact that there were no signs of any other Pokemon. She didn't know why, but this greatly worried her. Did this mean everybody in the area had already fled? Had they gotten away?

Or…or maybe they were already dead.

_STOP!_ Aura's instincts all suddenly screamed out at her, and against her better judgment she dug her feet into the loose ground, skidding to a halt. A massive ravine yawned in front of her, stretching for meters. Peering over the edge, she was horrified to see water roaring past below. The runoff from all the snow and ice had spilled into the depression, accumulating into a huge torrent that was sweeping away the very landscape with its force. She shuddered—she would definitely be crushed to death if she fell into this deluge. But the fires were still going behind her, and getting more violent…

Both options stank, but what could she do? She groaned and steeled herself to make the jump, taking a few steps back to get a good running start. If she failed to make the leap at top speed, she would doubtlessly miss the landing and drown—

"Aura!" a voice shouted from behind her. "Get away from there!"

Aura stiffened. _That sounded like…JACK?!_ She whirled, but at that point the wind hurled a cloud of smoke and embers in her face. She cried out in pain as the glowing sparks stung her eyes and unwittingly lurched backwards.

She got the first clue that she'd made a mistake as the cliff edge crumbled away underneath her foot. Already weakened by runoff, the rest of the slope gave way and Aura felt herself fall a heart-stopping distance. The voice called her name again, fearfully this time, but was drowned out as she fell onto a hard surface and immediately was pinned underneath the landslide. There was a particularly loud crash, and Aura felt a sickening snap travel up her arm from her wrist. Before she could feel pain, though, something struck her head and she blacked out.

- - - - -

When Aura started thinking again, she could not say whether she had lived or died. Everything was still dark, and she had an odd feeling of numbness—of being detached from herself. Vaguely she could hear a faint buzzing sound, almost as if someone was talking, but the voice was too far and too muddled for her to know what was being said. Her heart sank as she realized where she must be.

_Crap…is this the Dark World?_ It was the only logical explanation, given everything she'd just been through. _Crap. Crap, I did die. I got caught in the landslide, and I died. Crap._

There was a dull tingling on the left side of her face. Suddenly a sharp sting shot through it, then died down as quickly as it had come. At the same time the voice grew a little in volume, but still wasn't clear.

"Heavens, they're still trying to wake you up, are they?" somebody tutted next to her. "Well. This could be a problem. Seems you've taken on more damage than I feared."

Aura whirled to see the same figure that had haunted her dreams the previous day.

"M-Mismagius!" The name spilled out before she could stop herself. The ancient scholar smiled wanly at her, bearing the demeanor of a mother looking down at her infant.

"Hello, child. Have you been keeping well?"

What?

Aura blinked from the pure absurdity of the question. "What are you talking about?" she said irritably, becoming worked up from anxiety. "I just got through a disaster! How can I be alright? I'm dead, aren't I? There's no way I could—"

"Dead? Dead?! I daresay not!" Mismagius seemed to swell with indignation. "If you were dead, would I bother going to the trouble to put myself in tangible form, or even be communicating with you the way we are now? Gramercy, if all Pokemon thought they had died as soon as they so much as started seeing hallucinations…in any case, I think I would be able to distinguish the deceased from those who are merely unconscious! Heavens, child, you think they call us ghosts only for our ability to pass through walls? Even a psychic can pull that one by teleporting! I ask you!"

Aura jumped, surprised by the chiding outburst. It was such a change from the last time, which had been considerably more serious. "Sorry, I just…so I'm not dead?" she asked tentatively, just to be sure.

"Well, aren't you the bright button." Mismagius winked reassuringly at her, having calmed down. "But in all honesty, I'll tell you now that you shouldn't take the unusual with such a serious attitude. After all, we all learn sooner or later that life is really nothing more than one long, continuous surprise. Best to adopt flexibility and go along, wouldn't you think?" She chuckled, as if laughing at some hidden joke.

"Um…I'll keep that in mind," Aura said. She was finding it difficult to keep up with this eccentric being. It relieved her to know she hadn't been killed, though.

By now the voice had risen to a shout. Mismagius blinked twice, as if hearing this for the first time, and turned to look at an invisible presence. "Any how, I think it's time you woke up and reassured these fellows of your vitality. Don't you?"

"Huh?" Right as Aura asked this question she was suddenly blinded by a glaring light. Another sting shot through her cheek, stronger than before.

"…bloody flipping _wake up!"_ somebody yelled. Aura realized she was being slapped, and creaked her eyes open.

In the daylight it took a few seconds for her vision to adjust. She found herself staring up at the shaggy face of another Pokemon, a three-foot tall mammal that had the appearance of a cat-weasel hybrid. Red streaks were all over his white, coarse fur like slash marks—one marking even extended down over his eye like a scar. Aura looked around behind him to see a large, bushy tail slowly wave, and then looked down at his paws.

She reflexively flinched at the sight of the foot-long claws. There were three on each front paw, though he had them angled thoughtfully away so as to avoid cutting her. Still, they reminded her too much of the scythe claws she'd seen on Weavile.

The Zangoose, apparently not realizing she was awake, raised a paw as if to slap her again. Aura saw this and held out an arm to stop him.

"No more," she croaked, startled by how hoarse her voice was. "Stop. I'm up."

He blinked and raised a brow, staring down at her with tawny eyes. "Really? It seems to me you're still down," he observed pointedly. Aura started to bring herself to a sitting position but cried out as pain flared violently in her right arm. She looked over with tears in her eyes to see that her wrist had bent at an unnatural angle. She quickly shut her eyes upon seeing the white of bone, feeling like she was going to be sick at any moment.

"And incapitated, to boot." She heard the Zangoose sigh. "Oh, well. The important thing is that you're alive. Though frankly, you shouldn't be after taking a beating like you did." She was lifted gently by the shoulders as he called out in a gruff shout, "Hoi, Ronja, get your spiky butt over here! I've got a live one!"

There was a creaking sound, accompanied by a few small snaps, and then she felt someone holding her broken wrist gingerly. "Aye, that you do," a second voice agreed, thick with an accent that sounded a little nautical to Aura. "Thank the fates that at least a few got through with breath still in their bodies. Huh, what's that on her face…bruises? By the skull, Dekka, you trying to send the lass back where she came? I would recognize your handiwork anywhere, matey." There was a brief grunt from Dekka as the newcomer, presumably 'Ronja', chuckled lightly and patted Aura's shoulder with a tough hand. "Not to worry, little 'un, we'll have you patched up in two shakes. Leave it to this old bonehead, eh?"

Aura swallowed and nodded, then reopened her eyes to see the speaker. Her first impression was of staring straight into a clean, spiked white skull—until two grey eyes blinked in the eyeholes, and she realized she was looking at a living creature. The skull was like a helmet, having fused all the way around the Pokemon's head. His body, dark brown safe for a tan belly, was lean yet corded with muscle, clear evidence of the years of training and battle he must have been through. His tail, thick and powerful, bore a single spike inches from the end. The vaguely dinosaurian Pokemon was currently holding her wrist with one hand while groping around somewhere to his left with his other. "Blast me, where did I put that…Dekka!"

Dekka shuffled over to help him search, and Aura looked around herself for the first time. She sharply inhaled in shock.

The entire ravine was chaos—here and there water still flowed up through cracks in the mess of uprooted trees and compacted mud that filled the bottom of the chasm. The trees were still damp from the flood, though blackened and bare from the fires. The distinct smells of wet earth and smoke lingered heavily in the air. Aura honestly couldn't judge how long she'd been out. The sky was a murky gray, the sun obscured by a thick mass of ash clouds. Some soot fell lightly on them, as though it were snowing.

Snow…For just a second, Aura thought she would have preferred even the blizzard to…_this._ Several Pokemon, most identified as rescuers by their scarves, were digging through the rubble in search of survivors. Not too far away a Nidorino lodged his shoulder underneath a fallen log, heaving it to the side with his body. Aura watched in horror as he reached down to drag out an Electrike's limp, lifeless form. Blood stained the green and yellow canine's fur, all from the wound on its head that had proved to be fatal. Those few Pokemon that weren't searching were the ones sitting or wandering aimlessly, all battered and bloody and looking about with haunted expressions at the tragedy around them. Then there were the Pokemon that did not move—even without empathy, Aura knew they had already died, either before or after being pulled out of the wreckage.

The feeling of nausea increased. All these people had been suffering so close by—how could she have not seen them? She should have at least heard screaming! How could she have missed something like that?

Something else occurred to her as she continued to watch—something about the rescue teams was…off. Then it hit her. These Pokemon were complete strangers, not at all native to the Square. It was a small village—she would have seen them. So if they weren't from the Square, then why were they here?

"Found it." Dekka's voice interrupted her pondering, and she turned to see him pick up a small, cylindrical container made of stone. Ronja nodded his thanks and momentarily released Aura's wrist, twisting off the container's engraved lid. Inside was a dark orange, gel-like substance with a sharp, bitter smell. Dekka's snout wrinkled. He clearly found the substance to his distaste. Ronja, on the other hand, showed no signs of being bothered by it as he explained to Aura what it was. "Aspear juice, mate," he said, "together with feverfew extract and ground Rawst leaves. Not the most gentle of ointments, but it'll keep the wound from festering, and fix it up faster than you can say 'Mount Travail.'" He took a glob of the stuff and proceeded to dab it into the places where the bone had broken through her skin. Aura winced—it stung a _lot._ "An' not to say it doesn't help the unpleasant part sail by."

"Unpleasant part?" Aura repeated uneasily.

Dekka wordlessly took her arm in both paws. Before she could stop him he pressed down on the exposed bone, popping it swiftly back into straight alignment. Aura gasped and doubled over, expecting a whole new wave of pain to come.

It didn't. At the most her arm felt strangely numb and tingled, but it didn't hurt. She still felt queasy, and had to shut her eyes once again.

Ronja gave a small hint of a smile that was heard in his next comment. "Aye. That part."

Aura clenched her jaws, trying to focus on not losing her stomach from stress as Ronja worked on her arm. The Marowak pulled two relatively straight sticks from one of the trees beneath them and lined them up on either side of Aurelia's arm, carefully holding them in place as he used his teeth and free hand to tear a scarf Dekka handed him into strips. It took only a few minutes for him to wind the strips tightly around Aura's arm and the twigs, creating a makeshift splint.

"Here, now, that ought to hold." He leaned back, surveying his work with satisfaction. "Make sure it's not too tight now, lass."

Aura tentatively extended her bandaged arm, testing the splint. It remained secure.

Dekka grunted. "Not as great as it would be if you were in a hospital," he said curtly, "but it'll work. Now, can you walk?"

Aura tried again to stand. As soon as she moved her head spun, and she sat heavily back down. Ronja's hand shot out to catch her, brushing by accident against her head. He froze, then brought his hand back away. Aura dizzily saw that it was covered with blood. _Her _blood.

"Quite a battering you got there, matey," he said quietly, turning to look almost suspiciously at Dekka. Since he had been the one to slap Aura awake in the first place, it wouldn't be too far-fetched for him to be behind this.

Dekka shook his head. "It wasn't me. I didn't even notice it until you touched it just now, I swear."

Aura briefly recalled being hit on the head with something. Had that caused the wound?

"So I suppose now we have to carry her. Perfect." Dekka sighed. "Ronja, since you're feeling so generous, will you do the honors?"

"Belay, wish I could. But I can't carry my weapon _and_ a large critter like this one."

"Weapon…?" Aura asked foggily, still dizzy. Ronja smiled thinly and reached behind him, lifting a long, pale object that Aura had previously assumed to be a branch. She could see now that it was anything but—the club-like bone was almost Ronja's height, seeming to serve multiple functions both as a supportive staff and, as he had mentioned, a fighting tool. She could also see why he would need to concentrate on carrying just it—the bone looked heavy enough that if he were to bear her, he would most likely be overbalanced by the weight combination.

"Which leaves me? Great, just great." Dekka shook his head and snorted before crouching down next to Aura. "This might hurt a bit, kid," he warned before sweeping her up onto his back. She instinctively clasped her arms loosely around his neck to keep from falling off as she was lifted, and the small group started off down the ravine.

Despite the predicament, travel was quite simple—between Dekka's claws and Ronja's bone staff they were able to easily cut down any obstacles in their path. Aura marveled at the ease and skill Ronja handled his tool with, expertly twirling it to knock any debris out of his way. "Where are we going?" she asked, truly curious. After all, their set path was taking them in the opposite direction from Pokemon Square, she noted.

Both of her rescuers paused and looked briefly at each other, before Dekka responded shortly, "Sanctuary. All the refugees are meeting up there."

"Aye. You'll find no safer camp than Cairnehall. Or, as the tribes dub it, the Haven." Ronja nodded sagely in agreement.

_Tribes…?_ "So does that make you nomads?" Aura was unable to stop asking questions.

Even though she was behind his head, she could tell that Dekka rolled his eyes. "_Istari, _must they ask so many questions? Answering your question…yes."

"Okay…one more thing. What's 'Istari' mean?" The word seemed to probe lightly at something in the back of Aura's mind, but when she tried to reach deeper into it the meaning fled. After a second of consideration Ronja decided to speak in the place of his companion.

"Istari? It's from the north. Means 'celestial ones', taken from the mythological Dimensional Pokemon."

"Which," Dekka broke in irritably, "You will have to ask about later. In the meantime, we are getting you to a safe place, and nothing more."

Aura fell silent, trying not to look at the carnage and destruction around them. It was like walking through the valley of the dead.

TBC…


	20. Chapter 19: Salvaging the Remains

**I don't know if I've already mentioned this, but if you pay close attention the previous chapters you'll notice that Aura has an ability that has already appeared in the PMD games…anyways, it gets mentioned again in this chapter. Although I still want to keep it a secret, or at least as much as possible if I haven't already ruined it for you all. ;-) Aaaagh, I'm not so great at that nowadays—hiding plot and character details, I mean. I just keep getting so many ideas to make her more and more mysterious that I just want to get it all out there already! (is rambling mindlessly on as a result of drained mental energy from working on two school projects in a row)**

…**.so yeah. All that said, I really do hope you enjoy the chapter. And please forgive if it seems to…wander…a little.**

- - - - -

Chapter 19: Salvaging the Remains

It astounded Aura how far they had to go before they were able to leave the ravine—it was almost an hour before they reached a place where part of the cliff wall to their right had crumbled away, leaving a sharp slope. Aura was startled when she realized this was where she'd fallen in. Had the flood really carried her that far?

From here, their progress was slowed somewhat. The storm had swept debris everywhere, and as they climbed there were several occasions when she and Dekka had to wait while Ronja shoved an obstruction out of their path. There were a few times when even he was unable to clear a way through—when this happened Aura had to fight to stay on Dekka's back as the Zangoose lashed out at the blockage with his lethal claws. It only took him seconds to reduce it to rubble, with Ronja looking on and providing a comment here and there. Aura quickly found that it was impossible to be bored around the Marowak. Ronja's cheerful, gregarious attitude served as a stimulus to keep them going, and didn't allow them time to feel sorry for themselves over what had happened. As time passed, even Dekka seemed to loosen up a little in his partner's presence.

When they finally cleared the ravine, Aura was confronted with the full ferocity of the havoc the disaster had wrought. Everywhere for miles around there were still areas of forest burning low, and smoke hung hazily in the air like a veil. On each step Dekka and Ronja took they were splashed by small puddles of mud. The air around them was chilled from lack of sunlight, yet the breezes that blew were unsettling warm, also whipping up ashes into their faces. After a while Ronja stopped to rub at the corners of his eyes—soot had managed to find its way through his skull helmet's eyeholes.

"Never dreamt I'd someday miss the badlands much as I do now, mateys," he said wistfully. "This stuff's like walking through cinders, so help me."

Aura sneezed violently, flinching as her throat flared in protest. The constant exposure to the smoke was chafing at her lungs as the miniscule, shard-like particles scratched her airways. What she wouldn't give right now for a cool, clear drink of water…just the thought made it even worse.

Still, she was primarily worried over the fate of the village and its inhabitants. Was everybody alright? Had her friends been able to reach safety? Over and over her mind replayed nightmare images of buildings blazing furiously, of total destruction. Finally, she couldn't take not knowing anymore and blurted out, "What happened to the Square?"

After a second Dekka answered roughly, "Gone."

Aura felt the blood rush from her face. "What?"

"You heard me. It's gone, completely ruined. Less than half of the villagers are known to be alive, and some are so badly injured that they won't be living for much longer. And worse, Pokemon Square wasn't the only place to suffer." He shook his head. "Treasure Town, Gaelthorn Valley—all of the major settlements on the continent were hit heavily. We would know—three of the Pokemon we rescued before you were fugitives from other regions."

Ronja barked out a single laugh. "Aye, mayhap the old legends are coming true and Arceus 'erself has come back to deliver punishment for all the wrong done o'er the years."

Aura hesitated before asking. "…who's…Arceus?"

Her rescuers both turned around to stare at her in shock.

"Stripe me…" Ronja said quietly. "Looks like the Chief was right and you'd gotten some kind of amnesia, if you'd forget the One."

"We can fill you in on the details later," Dekka said irritably. "But for basic knowledge, Arceus is only the most powerful being in all lore. And never mind that she brought the existence of Pokemon about, and gave birth to the supreme deities, making it possible for our lives to play out without constant death and chaos or interference from darker forces—"

"Never mind…" Aura mumbled. It unnerved her to know that there were things she didn't know about that were as important as this. What other crucial knowledge had she forgotten?

"Don't give yourself a heart attack over it. I'm sure Ronja will fill you in on everything later. But in the meantime, don't do anything stupid as asking any random person you see about the matter. At least pretend you know what everybody is talking about, if only until you find your memories again. In the meantime, we're here."

She turned her attention forwards. Without her noticing it they had left the forest border behind, and now stood before a rock face with a wide cleft torn down it, creating a pathway for them to head through. At the other end of the way, much to Aura's confusion, a massive tree reached up out of the hard ground. Miraculously the tree was unscathed, as though it had somehow been spared from the grand scale destruction. As they approached she could see that the rock wall around them widened and encircled this tree to create a citadel-like clearing of silence and security.

She saw now that the tree was very old, having a massive trunk and a thick roof of leaves that stretched widely to cover a good deal of the open area in the crevasse. As she watched Ronja climbed onto a large root that was protruding from the ground and pounded loudly on the trunk with the butt of his bone staff.

"Can't come in unless you're a runaway, a mercenary, or a maggot!" came a cheery and prompt response from above them. Aura jumped out of shock and reflexively looked up to try and see the speaker. The leaves were an excellent screen, though, and hid whoever it was from sight.

"Will you just let us in already, Ryrku, you stupid tree climber?" Dekka snapped in annoyance, shifting Aura on his back. "We don't have all day to stand here, so the least you can do is get this kid to the infirmary and let us go back to the search!"

"Will you just calm down already, Dekka, you scruffy hairball?" the voice teased in an uncanny sing-song imitation of his voice. The leaves rustled loudly before a small blur dropped down in front of them, landing nimbly in a sitting position on Ronja's shoulder. Small, bipedal, and resembling a gecko, the Pokemon had skinny limbs and three round, stubby digits on each hand and foot. It had an odd turquoise color, with a pale yellow stomach and two large rust-red tails that looked like budding leaves.

Dekka glared at the strange Treecko. "Very funny," he grumbled. "Seriously, take this one inside. She needs to have a head wound treated.

Wide, reptilian eyes looked Aura over. "Funny. She doesn't look like the insane type," Ryrku commented smartly.

"That's NOT what I meant!" Dekka said in irritation. "Ronja, come on, we're going. Can you walk?" he asked Aura, lowering her to the ground without waiting for an answer.

"Um…" She did still feel a little dizzy, but her head had cleared up enough for her to move—she was starting to get a large headache, though. Even so, her worry over her friends surpassed her own pain. She would rest only after everybody was accounted for. "I'll be fine," she decided out loud.

A smile could be seen in Ronja's eyes. "Y'see this, messmate?" he asked Dekka, thumping his partner heartily on the back. "I doubt I've ever seen a lass tough as this one! Strike me, little 'un, with just a few months I bet you'll be back to shattering boulders with that arm o' yours! Aye, that'll be just what you need, lots o' rest and some proper grub! Any how, be good and keep out of trouble 'till we get back, savvy?"

Despite her throbbing head and scratched throat, Aura couldn't help a smile. She found that she greatly liked this jolly Pokemon. "I will," she promised.

"Yes, _daddy,"_ Ryrku said sarcastically. "We'll be good little kids, I promise."

"Ryrku, since when have you ever behaved?" Dekka asked her as she jumped down from Ronja's shoulder to stand next to Aura. At her full height she was still a few inches below Aura's shoulder.

"Since I was a little kid," Ryrku responded. "C'mon, Legs," she said to Aura, referring to her greater height. "Lemme show you inside. See you, Ronja."

"Aye, same to you, mate!"

"Sure. Say goodbye to Ronja, of course," Dekka's grumbling voice reached them as he and Ronja trailed away. "Never mind me; I'm just a scruffy hairball who doesn't know my business."

"Grump," Ryrku said. She then motioned for Aura to follow and walked around to the backside of the tree, which was just a few feet from the crevasse wall. She searched along the wall for a few seconds, then, finding what she was looking for, reached out to push a small protrusion in the smooth grey granite. There was a soft _click_, and Aura was startled as a narrow section of the rock suddenly moved back into the wall and slid slowly to the side.

"Trick door," Ryrku explained. "Get used to it, 'cause you'll be seeing a heck of a lot more like them in this place."

"Where are we headed?" Aura asked. She was pretty sure Ronja had mentioned something about a refuge, but the name kept eluding her…

"The Haven. Officially its name was Cairnehall, but a few years ago everybody just started calling it by the nickname. It's a special place—Lucario and his team lived here, you know."

_That_ was certainly startling. "No…I didn't know," Aura admitted.

Ryrku raised an eyebrow. After a second she let this go and said, "Well, now you do—so remember it. Anyways, it's one of the safest places on earth. I would know, I helped designed most of the more recent defenses." She jabbed a thumb at the empty entryway. "Like the door? It's not just stone. We reinforced it with steel. You could practically have a Machamp pound away all day at it, and it wouldn't move an inch."

Aura had to admit, she was impressed. But why would anybody go to such lengths to modify a place as old as this? When she voiced her thoughts, Ryrku looked incredulous for a second. "Are you kidding me? This was Lucario's _home_! Of course we want to keep it safe!"

As she spoke, Aura noticed a slightly evasive look in Ryrku's eyes. Was there something she wasn't being told here? For instance, who was this "we" she kept mentioning? Ryrku interrupted her as she was about to say so. "Look, daylight's wasting and your head's still bleeding, right? So let's go already." Before any more could be said she took off at into the hall inside. Aura had to move at a quick trot to keep up with her. For the moment it looked as though Ryrku wasn't going to surrender any information on the matter at hand, so she decided to let the subject drop for now and ask about something that was worrying her more.

"There's some Pokemon I'm looking for," she said after a brief hesitation. "One of them's a Trapinch—his name's Jay, he's a Delta species, and his color's more of a dusty red than brown. There's also a Quilava named Khalil and an Azumarill, Azerie—there's a Raichu too, but I'm not sure what her birth name is, and there's a Charmeleon, Jack. Then there's an Alakazam and a Vaporeon, the last one's—"

She fell silent, horrified. She'd just come that close to giving away Luma's identity! Who knew what could have happened had she continued speaking? Thankfully Ryrku didn't seem to think her pause strange. "Can't say about the Raichu and Vaporeon," she said, shrugging. "The only Raichu I've seen here so far was a male, and I'm guessing yours is female if you're calling it a 'her'. And we've had a Leafeon and Umbreon, but no Vaporeon. Alakazam was here earlier—one of his team mates is missing, though. I think it was Tyranitar…in any case, Alakazam left with Charizard just an hour ago to look for 'im. As for the red Trapinch," she continued, "he made it here early this morning. I think he's helping out in the infirmary right now, if you're going to look for him. There's a Charmeleon with him, but I don't know if he's the one you want. I dunno about the other two."

Aura could have practically collapsed from relief. _They were safe!_ Or rather, most of them were safe—but so long as there was still a chance the others were living, she could relax a little. She willingly followed Ryrku down the hallway, eager to find her friends.

The place was much bigger and more complex than she could ever have guessed from outside—several smaller hallways branched off from the main one they were in now, and twice they passed through large, high-roofed rooms. Even though they were technically underneath a mountain, there was way too much space for Aura to feel claustrophobic. Quite on the contrary she felt quite at home…

Actually, she felt _too _much at home. She didn't know why, but she was being bugged by a strange feeling of having seen this place before in the past. The feeling also brought with it a sick, heart-wrenching sensation of dread…why was this? She almost felt _guilty_ of something…

"Y'ello. You just walked past it." Ryrku's voice cut into her thoughts.

Aura came to a stop, blinking. "Huh?" she asked, confused and a little dazed after her reverie.

Ryrku rolled her eyes. "The medical wing. You just passed it." She jerked her thumb towards a doorway at their left. The chamber on the other side was crowded with Pokemon, all of whom were either wounded or tending to the injured. The room was void of beds—in their place was thick, woven blankets spread over the ground for the patients to rest on. As expected a few Chansey were present, playing the roles of nurses, though they were accompanied by some other Pokemon wearing the same scarves and bands as those from the flood sight. Again, Aura was struck by the impression that something was…different…about them…this thought trailed off as she caught sight of a familiar, dark-furred Pokemon close to the center of the room.

"Khalil!" she shouted, rushing towards him. Khalil jerked in surprise and whipped around to look at her. A wide gash was on his right shoulder and the back of his neck, and he had a nasty cut on one ear, but the wounds appeared to have been cleaned and bandaged. Aside from a faint rasp in his breath, he looked fine. Upon seeing Aura his whole face lit up with a huge grin.

"Aura! Dude! You're alive! I can't believe it!" he said happily, twisting around so he was sitting in a position facing her.

Behind Aura, Ryrku shrugged. "See ya," she said boredly before taking off.

Khalil's face was quickly overcome with worry. "Have you seen Raichu by any chance?" he asked quietly.

Right away Aura was nervous again. "No…I thought she was with you and Azerie."

Khalil's face fell, and he sighed. "She was…but then that whole mess with the fires started, and she just bolted off to go find Pichu and Zigzagoon. I swear, she would throw herself in a volcano to protect those two kids—that's NOT an exaggeration. She doesn't exactly have a sense of logic, you know. And Azerie…" he bit his lip. "Azerie got hurt pretty bad—hit by a falling timber, and she's got a lot of smoke in her lungs besides. She's been in a coma for hours—Chansey says that even if she does wake up, there's a pretty good chance that Azz will be paralyzed for life."

Aura had never heard more despair in anyone's voice than Khalil's at that moment. Seeing his pensive expression and slightly trembling frame, she realized that he and the others of the "Insanity Trio" were even closer as friends than she could have guessed. "I just…I never really thought that there was a chance that we could get split up like this," he continued quietly. "It was always such a weird idea. That one of us could be…I mean, I respect Raichu and what she's capable of, I really do, and she's a priceless friend, but Azerie…Azerie's _special_ to me. If she died, I don't know what—"

He suddenly stopped talking in midsentence and whipped around so his back was towards Aura. She blinked. "What?" she asked, confused by his behavior.

"Nothing," Khalil said rapidly in a high voice. "Nothing. I wasn't about to say anything. Forget you heard that. Hey, look—"

"AURA!"

Aura was suddenly tackled, causing her breath to leave her in a loud _whoosh. _It took a second for her to realize somebody was hugging her tightly, and a few seconds more to figure out who it was.

"Jack--!" she gasped out, struggling to breathe. Jack suddenly released her and punched her shoulder, making her yelp.

"Aura, you idiot!" he shouted angrily. "What the h*** were you thinking? I was trying to get your attention the whole time, and you didn't even turn around! Then you had to fall off that cliff, and I was calling you, and—and—" he broke off, panting for breath as he struggled to get a grip on himself.

Aura stared dumbly at him in shock. "…you mean you were following me?" she asked, confused. "Before the cliff fell away?"

"What are you, deaf? I was practically two feet behind you the entire time! You had me practically scared to death!" he snapped.

This disconcerted Aura. If Jack really had been so close behind her, as he was saying, then why hadn't she heard him until reaching the ravine?

"Aura!" Aura turned to see Jay part his way through the crowd towards them. His expression was a mix of both relief and incredible stress. "Aura, are you okay? What happened? I was trying to contact you the entire time, and—" his voice trailed off in horror as he saw blood on her head.

"I'm alright," she said quickly. "Head wounds always bleed a lot. It's not so bad—" she hissed in a sharp breath as Jack poked the back of her head, causing the throbbing to worsen.

"It _is_ so bad," he growled. "Look how deep this thing is. I could practically fit my claw in this gash."

"Oh, that's a nice image," Khalil mumbled, looking a little ill at the thought. Fortunately a yelp from the front of the room distracted his attention enough to avoid being sick, and he glanced quickly over in the direction of the sound. "Oh…just Raichu," he said absently. As he was turning back to the group, he suddenly jumped and did a double take. "…Raichu? Hold on! RAICHU!" he shouted, leaping up and running over to his partner.

_Raichu?_ Aura looked over. Sure enough, Raichu was standing just inside the doorway, flanked by Zigzagoon and holding a grime-coated Pichu in one arm. Her usual energy seemed to be absent, as her ears and tail were drooped listlessly and her position was slumped wearily, but otherwise she appeared unharmed—just incredibly tired.

"Got 'em…" Raichu panted, handing off Pichu to Khalil. No sooner had she done this than she swayed wildly and pitched forward onto the floor.

"Rai--!" Aura was interrupted as Raichu lifted a paw.

"Nnh…I'm…okay…" she mumbled sleepily before dropping her paw again. Khalil worriedly looked her over, then sighed and sat back down, looking relieved.

"She'll be fine," he assured Aura, patting Zigzagoon on the head. "It takes a heck of a lot more than a disaster to bring her down like this. Most likely it's just stress and junk food withdrawal symptoms—give her a few days and a couple dozen Gummis, and she'll be back to normal in no time."

"I'm glad…" Aura looked down at Raichu, who had quickly fallen asleep on the floor. "She's one tough Pokemon," she said quietly.

Khalil laughed. "Hey, you think _this _is her strongest? You should see her fight with lightning attacks sometime—_that'll_ give you a shock." He grinned at his own pun.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Lame," he muttered.

Jay was still worried about Aura's wound. "Aura, you still need to get that checked. That's a pretty vicious cut you have."

Aura was about to agree—she was starting to become increasingly dizzy. She opened her mouth to speak when pain suddenly knifed through her back.

"Ghk--!" She fell roughly to one knee, hissing in a sharp breath as her vision exploded in stars. What was going on? Why was she in such agony? It felt like something was tearing her apart!

"Aura!" she heard somebody shout. Unable to respond, she shut her eyes tight, fighting to stay awake as the pain worsened.

When she opened her eyes again…everything had changed. Rain was pouring down heavily, causing steam to arise from the pools of lava around her. She was on the peak of a mountain, standing in the middle of a rock platform and surrounded by pillars of stone. Rayne's voice broke into her thoughts, startling her.

"Get out of this place, Razor!" the Tyranitar roared. "We can't do anything here! If we stay, we die!"

Aura's mouth moved on its own, putting out a voice that wasn't hers. "Screw that!" she snapped. "You and Shinbashi pull back! I'm taking this bastard down if it costs me everything I—" She cried out as the pain sharpened, doubling over as she nearly blacked out. Her hand shot out to hold herself up—blood was staining her leaves and claws in a dark scarlet.

Wait a minute! Claws?! What was this?!

"Wake up, d*** it!"

Aura gasped as the scene changed once again. Suddenly she was no longer on the volcano summit, but on her back, staring up at a swarm of frightened and concerned faces. Jay was shaking her shoulder, trying to wake her up, but stopped when her eyes opened.

"Aura? What happened?" He sounded greatly unsettled.

"What…" Aura's head was swimming as she tried to piece together what she had just seen. Her headache had gotten worse, making thinking harder. Suddenly she realized what it was she'd just gone through.

A premonition. The same as the kind she'd had at the storage warehouse, and before meeting Weavile. _It was the same thing._ And that voice…

"Razor…" she gasped out. "Something…something happened…something's wrong…Razor…Razor's hurt." The stars then returned to her vision, and she blacked out.

TBC…


	21. Chapter 20: Scream of Shadows

**Three things I want to say:**

**From this point on, I will try and cut down on graphics for the younger readers.**

**For those who are actually wondering, I will be bringing Dai and Team Zakuro back rather soon.**

**We are currently getting a rather impressive blizzard here, as I'm writing this…wow…**

…**what? We are having a blizzard! I promise! Although one would think it would have come around Christmas…**

**- - -**

Chapter 20: The Scream of Shadows

Aura was dragged into consciousness by a hollow cracking sound. Opening her eyes a slit, she saw that she had been moved to a small, quiet chamber and placed on a thick straw bed with a woven blanket covering her. Two Luminous Orbs had been placed in holders on the walls, providing a gentle light to illuminate the otherwise shadowed room. Nearby, Jay lay on an identical straw bed, fast asleep. Aura looked up above the chamber doorway, where the noise was coming from. At first she was unable to see anything. Then her vision adjusted and she saw the oddly colored Treecko, Ryrku, tucked away into an alcove and munching away on small pile of Chesto berries. It was the sound of her teeth cracking the thick berry shells in two that Aura had heard.

Her gaze wandered to the rest of the room, and she inhaled sharply. Alakazam was at the other side of the room, hovering in a cross-legged position in midair. His eyes were closed in deep meditation, and his two spoons were floating upright on either side of him, suspended by a thin field of psychic energy. And the figure next to him…

Luma looked surprisingly healthy, considering how he had been the last time Aura had seen him. There were only minimal signs that he had been hurt—the bandage was gone, and Aura could not see much of his wound except for a pale scar peeking over his shoulder. He was lying on all fours in a sphinx-like position, looking completely calm and at ease.

Aura was confused over how his injury could have possibly healed so fast. After all, he'd hardly been able to walk when she'd left the headquarters. "How did—" she started to voice her question.

Ryrku yelped, startled by the sound of her voice, and nearly fell out of the alcove. She managed to save herself by clinging to the wall in a very reptilian manner, though she did drop one of her berries.

"What the--!" When she saw it was only Aura, Ryrku relaxed visibly and climbed back onto her perch with a loud sigh. "What, are you trying to make me kill myself? Don't do that!"

"Sorry…" Aura apologized sheepishly. Jay stirred and shifted a little in his sleep but did not wake up.

"You're awake early." This was more of an observation than anything else. Alakazam's eyes opened, and he looked at Aura.

"Um…yes." She nodded, and then tried to ask her question again. "Luma's shoulder…how did it heal so…?"

"It's called psychokinetic regeneration, my friend." Luma gave a tiny smile. "Alakazam is quite the healer—he can fix just about any injury within minutes."

"Save for yours, Aurelia." Alakazam sounded grim. "I am not sure of the cause, but some obstruction prevents me from doing anything much except for minimal repair."

"So in other words, Legs," Ryrku said lazily from her alcove, "he was only able to stop your head from bleeding before some weird power forced his healing to stop. It's only you—he can still work with everyone else."

Aura looked down at her wrist—she still had a splint, though someone had changed it out for a new one. How nice to know that she was, once again, the odd one out. "You mean…I'm negating Alakazam's powers?" Was that even possible?

"As I said, I am not sure what the reason is. However," Alakazam said more quietly, "under these circumstances it may be time that I brought your attention to a serious matter."

Ryrku swallowed a bit of berry and looked down at them. "Does this mean it's time for me to leave?"

"If you don't mind." Alakazam nodded. "Stay, Luma," he added as Luma started to get up. "This is something you need to hear as well. And let Jay sleep—it has been a strenuous time for us all, and he needs the rest. If he wakens we will fill him in on what he has missed.

Luma nodded and sat back down. "Very well. I'll see you later, Ryrku."

Ryrku jumped down from the alcove, landing feet-first on the floor and carrying the last of the Chesto berries in her hands. She shrugged in response before loping outside.

Luma waited until Ryrku was gone before speaking. "While Alakazam and Charizard were searching for Tyranitar, I stayed behind to find new sources for our research. We're going to need them trust me." He sighed. "The headquarters was not spared from the destruction, and only a few books were recovered from the wreckage. The rest are lost for good."

Aura felt her heart sink. "What are we going to do?"

"Listen," Luma said. "Believe it or not, there are still a few places left that weren't damaged too badly by the disaster. I was able to find one such temple nearby. It's an interwoven network of catacombs and treasure chambers called the Darknight Relic. While I was there I found two things—the first was an inscription dating back to well before Pokemon Square was established, and the second was an object that I think could be of great value to us."

Luma turned and reached a paw behind him, dragging something into view. In the dim light Aura had to lean forward and squint to see it. The object was a triangular, translucent sky blue block that gave off a faint glitter in the light. What was strange was that the block appeared to be made entirely of ice, as the air around it was chilled slightly, but it did not melt in the warmth of the room. It took her a bit longer to realize that it was, in fact, some sort of intricate device, riddled with catches, triggers, and empty compartments.

Alakazam was also staring at the device. However, he wore an expression of surprise and bewilderment rather than mild curiosity. "Luma…exactly where did you find this?" he asked in a low voice.

"It was hidden underneath one of the catacombs," Luma explained. "The room was so badly detoriated that I never would have expected to find anything there. When I was about to leave, though, my paw accidentally kicked aside a floor tile. It turned out that there was a space underneath, where this was hidden away. Why do you ask?"

"Because," Alakazam said, "that device is the same treasure Darienne's team brought back from their first expedition to the Buried Relic. She and Blaziken brought it to me not knowing what it was."

Luma's fins rose in interest. "And?"

"I advised them to hide it away from the Square, where it would be safe. Until now, Team Zakuro and I were the only ones who knew of its location."

Aura's curiosity increased. "What is it?"

"I believe it is one of three sacred artifacts, all of which are said to bear amazing power matching those of their guardians. The three components are designed to fit together, so that once interlocked their combined power is used to awaken an ancient Pokemon of legend. By itself," Alakazam added, gesturing a hand at the device, "this Ice part is essentially useless, but if someone were to gather it and the other two parts to use for the wrong purpose…"

"I understand. If it's not used carefully, it can be dangerous." Aura nodded. "And what about the inscription, Luma?"

"I was getting to that." Luma set the Ice Part down on the floor, in the center of the group. "There was an engraving on the north wall of the chamber farthest inside the relic. It took me a while to decipher the runes, but in the end I was able to discern that the Relic itself used to be one of the more fundamental dungeons under the Nightshade cult's control. That's not the end of it, either. For seventy years before the Rescue Team Organization came about, Nightshade was a prominent figure of authority over the native Pokemon. When the rescue teams came about the cult was driven out of the area, assumingly for good."

"But they weren't really gone?" Aura said.

"Correct. Nightshade is only a part of something so much bigger, something much more powerful. The inscription I saw was made before their period of silence—the seer who placed it predicted that they would eventually return to power." Luma turned his gaze to Alakazam, then back to Aura. "Right around this present generation."

Aura felt a chill creep through her fur. _Now? Right now?_ "But…the Rescue Team Organization got rid of them the first time around, didn't they?" she asked nervously. "Why couldn't they do it agai—"

"The Rescue Team Organization," Alakazam broke in softly, "can no longer be trusted."

Aura stared at him in shock. "What…what do you mean?"

"Over the past year their authority has been steadily decaying," Alakazam told her, "to the point where they can no longer be depended on for our protection. This disaster is just one more example of their failure to act when they are called upon—nearly three days after the storm there are still no signs of their taking action of any sort, even for their own village. Those rescuers you saw out there are not our own. They have come from the Aoris."

"What? But I thought they died out long ago! Isn't that what you told me?"

Alakazam nodded. "It is true that the majority have dispersed by now. However, the Organization Dawn—those who are here now—are one of the few factions that have remained strong in hiding. In any case, it seems that we must turn to the Aoris for aid."

"Ryrku's one of them," Luma added. "Her dad was one of their leaders in the past."

Aura raised an eyebrow. That would explain why Ryrku had been dodging all her questions.

"Any how," Luma continued, "if Nightshade really is returning it may be wise for us all to be very cautious from now on. Especially you, Aura, if what I've heard about you is true."

"Before my return," Alakazam started before Aura could question this, "you experienced an unusually strong vision, am I correct?" When Aura nodded he went on, "There are few recorded cases of any Pokemon having the same ability as yours, so it is difficult to know the full extent of its bounds, but I do know the main gist of it. What you have appears to be an ability that is similar in many aspects to a very rare talent called the Dimensional Scream. Those who have it are able to view an occurrence of the past or future upon physical contact with the individual or object related to the event. However, when I asked further about the circumstances of your particular vision, Jay informed me that yours came out of nowhere, and involved a Pokemon who was considerably far away around that time."

Aura suddenly was scared. Had her vision really meant something? "Did…" she swallowed. "Did she come back?"

Much to Aura's horror, Luma nodded. "In critical condition, shortly after you fainted. Just like you said, something almost tore Razor apart. It was a miracle she was still alive by the time Rayne and Shinbashi brought her back."

"As I mentioned earlier, however," Alakazam said, "there are some notable differences between your vision and a typical Dimensional Scream. First is the fact that you had no contact with Razor when the vision came. This lead me to believe that your Scream is a variety that focuses not on a person or object nearby, but on a Pokemon associated with that subject."

Luma nodded. "That would make sense. When you think about it, she was around a lot of Pokemon that were acquainted with Razor. First there were Ronja and Dekka, two of the clan's members. Then she spent a good deal of time around Jay and Jack, both of whom were trained under Razor. All that exposure could have triggered a Scream centered around somebody they all had some degree of relationship with."

Aura's blood ran cold. Just the fact alone that she could have predicted such a thing…it was unthinkable. It then occurred to her that this…Dimensional Scream…wasn't her only oddity. An image sprung into the front of her mind of the day time had stopped around her.

"Um…Alakazam?" she asked quietly. "There's…something else."

Alakazam looked interested. "Yes?"

Aura hesitated. How could she say this so that it wouldn't sound completely outlandish? Feeling that there was no possible way to do so anyways, she decided to just tell him out front. "That day when Bannette attacked us, something weird happened. I…" she swallowed. "I stopped time."

For a while, nobody spoke. Alakazam and Luma both turned to stare at each other, their expressions strange and unreadable. Aura was just starting to feel that something was incredibly wrong when Luma said quietly, "That makes no sense…as far as I know, no Riolu is capable of molecular immobilization. Even the strongest Psychic and Ghost-type Pokemon have great difficulty at suspending the flow of time for more than a few seconds."

As Alakazam spoke, he sounded troubled. "If you are right, Aurelia, there _is _one possible explanation for all this. However, so man centuries have passed, and the idea alone is…" his voice trailed off, leaving Aura very nervous.

"What?" she asked. "What is it?"

Alakazam was silent for a few seconds. After the pause he said, "It is nothing. I may be wrong."

"But Ala—" Aura started to protest.

"If you'll excuse me," Alakazam interrupted her calmly but sternly, "I'll be taking my leave. Charizard and I have had no luck so far at locating Tyranitar, and now that you appear to be on the path to a safe recovery I wish to get back to our search as soon as possible."

The field of energy disappeared as he descended from his midair position to stand on the ground, taking his spoons up in hand again. He motioned to Jay, who had still not awakened—Aura was starting to have a sneaking suspicion that sleep for Psychic Pokemon involved a very deep trance. "When Jay wakes up, tell him all we have discussed. And be careful in the days to come—Jay may be in great danger, as will you, Aurelia…and you as well, Luma."

For the first time since Aura had met him, Luma's eyes widened in surprise, his formerly calm demeanor shattered. "Me…? But what do you—"

"You may have become wiser over the years, my friend," Alakazam said with a thin smile, "but it does not change the fact that you live a life of danger. By now I have seen several omens that tell me things will become more difficult for you—not to mention Aurelia and Jay. The three of you each will have a part to play in the events that are to come." Before any more could be said, he reminded Aura, "Take care to rest until you heal. I'm afraid you may have to recover the old-fashioned way. If all goes well, I will return in a few days." He nodded to her and Luma in farewell before taking his leave. As he walked out of the room and away from the light of the Luminous Orbs, Aura had the impression of his being swallowed by the shadows of the hallway, and then he was gone.

Aura looked over at Luma, who was still staring out after where Alakazam had left. His face was one of confusion and mild shock, and in that instant Aura saw him for what he really was—a confused outcast, hardly even a few years older than herself yet already exposed to the worst of the world's troubles. Underneath his placid appearance he was still just as nervous as…well…for some odd reason Aura's thoughts flashed to Dai. Yes, that was who he reminded her off. They both shared that same element of uncertainty.

She wondered if Dai was alright.

"Luma?" she asked, trying to get his attention.

Luma did not respond for a second. Then he blinked and looked over at her. "Huh?"

"Was…was Alakazam always so…" Aura thought, trying to come up with the proper word to use. "…ominous?"

Luma considered this visibly for a moment, his tail slowly flicking. "I suppose…" He sighed. "It never occurred to me when I was younger, though. Before I had to leave the Square, I mean. I always just thought of it as a normal thing for adults, particularly Psychic-types. It never occurred to me that his skills went deeper than physical manipulation and mind reading."

Aura looked down at Jay's motionless form. It felt strange to her that one of her friends could possibly be entangled in something so…dark, so mysterious. Not just Jay, in fact, but Luma as well…and herself. What on earth would they be so important for that their lives would be on the line? "Do you have any idea what Alakazam could have meant?" she asked quietly.

Luma's face was pensive. "I don't know, Aura…I honestly don't know…I just hope we'll be up to whatever happens when the time comes."

TBC…


	22. Chapter 21: The Investigators Broken

Ch. 21: The Investigators Broken

Alakazam did not return for over a week. For Aura, who was forced to stay inside and inactive, that time passed in a slow, thick stream of restless tedium. She continued to receive updates on her friends' statuses. On the first day after Alakazam left it was confirmed that Azerie would survive her injuries. Even better was the news that although it would take at least four months, she would eventually regain full mobility. Khalil was so overjoyed by this announcement that he began spending more time at Azerie's side in the medical ward, even spending nights to keep an eye out for her. Also, true to Khalil's word, Raichu quickly bounced back to her normal, hyperactive self and jumped into the waiting mountain of work with a will, constantly switching from the search parties to the kitchens to helping settle down rowdy and frightened infants and countless other volunteer jobs in a complex and furiously paced web of activity that Aura couldn't even begin to sort out. Through all this Raichu began to show a special knack for dealing with young children, causing Aura to become convinced that she had been part of a large family in the past, and her exuberant optimism soon had moods lifted all throughout the Haven's halls. Before long she had become very popular among refugees and rescuers alike. The Aoris Pokemon in particular took an odd shine to her likeable personality, and began slowly coming out of their shells of solitude and silence, which helped to banish some of the wariness towards them. Most Pokemon still had their suspicions, though—this was understandable.

Though Ryrku was loath to give any further information on the massive 'clan' of hers, she proved to be a friendly rival to Jack and within days the two antisocial Pokemon had formed a tight partnership. Through their everyday pranks and antics they were able to snatch a treasure of things, mostly Gummies and effect bands, to distribute among their group. With Jay's help Aura was able to pass the time by learning the effects and attributes of each new TM or special item, and in doing so she also learned about each of her friends' fighting styles. Jay, for example, when not relying on his psychic powers for protection had a great degree of control over the earth about him—Aura also learned that at one point when he was younger he had accidentally come close to triggering an earthquake during a training mishap. While the tale was funny in retrospect, it was still a bit of a shock just to know how much power he had. Jack, Ryrku, and Raichu were all alike in the aspect of preferring moves with high offensive power, though speed and stealth were more up Ryrku's alley than brute strength alone. Raichu was particularly notorious for having knocked out other Pokemon with a single hit, gaining her infamy for her "Volt Tackle" and "Mega Kick" techniques—and also insuring that nobody would try messing with her on the off-chance of igniting her wrath. Jack had an amazing combination of both endurance and attack power, enabling him to hang through tough situations long enough to dole out some serious damage. Aura mostly had to speculate and guess on Luma's behalf—he didn't seem to enjoy discussing battles all that much. She was willing to let this go, though it also aroused new questions about the newcomer.

However, there were a number of matters that continued to worry her. For one, Ryrku seemed to be carrying something heavy on her mind, and when asked she remained wary and unresponsive until Aura had nearly reached her last nerve trying to interrogate her. Only then did Ryrku talk, maybe for the sake of keeping Aura from flying into a rage.

"Sorry. I guess I'm just thinking that we're going through a repeat of the past." Ryrku actually seemed apologetic. "You remember the incident with Team Zakuro and the meteor, right?"

"Technically speaking, no," Aura said plainly. It felt peculiar that she was getting used to living with her amnesia.

"Oh, well. But anyways, I was just remembering when some of our guys went out to ask Xatu about the whole thing afterwards—he's the one who saw the meteor coming and warned Dai's team in time. But the circumstances were pretty fishy, though. Did you know, our world falling into the meteor's path might not have been just plain old coincidence? There might have been another power at work there, one that was _trying_ to destroy our planet and all life on it. Like…like some psycho god of destruction, or something like that."

Ryrku was fairly calm, considering what she was suggesting. Still, at the utterance of these words Aura felt…well…she didn't know what. A strange emotion passed through her, like a darkened ripple, and for a split second she could not recognize herself. Her scarred paw itched, as if about to snap forward and punch something. Then the moment was over as quickly as it had come, leaving her very confused.

What was that? It had only been for a brief second, but in that moment she'd just felt so…Aura thought about this, and was less that tickled about the conclusion she reached.

_Savage_. That was it. She'd felt an overwhelming desire to _destroy, _to see blood. Oh, God, what if she hadn't snapped out of it when she had? Ryrku was the nearest person around, and she could have easily killed—

"Hello. What's your damage, Legs?"

Aura blinked, brought out of her horrified reverie. "What?"

"You're looking pretty dang pale right now. Paler, I should say. And this is the second time you've spaced out when I was talking to you." Ryrku looked miffed. "What, am I that boring?"

"Huh? Oh, no! No! Not at all!" Aura quickly stammered, waving her unsplinted arm wildly as if to physically dispel the notion. "I…I just…I got lost in thought over something, and I guess I started woolgathering…"

"So I did lose you," Ryrku stated.

Aura sighed. "Okay…yes. You did. Sorry."

"Whatever." Ryrku shrugged in reserved acceptance, though she was still staring at Aura for some odd reason. After an awkward second of silence she suddenly said, "You know who you remind me of? Remene, that's who."

Of course, Aura had no clue who she meant. "Who?"

"Remene Aristare," Ryrku repeated. "She was a professor and the Organization Dawn's recorder before I was born. She was a Lucario—had pale fur, kinda like yours. Hers was silver, though." With this she disappeared down a corridor, leaving Aura with new questions.

Probably the biggest of these mysteries consisted of two questions: What had happened to Team Zakuro? And what went down at Mount Blaze? For the next eight days Razor remained in a state of borderline coma while recovering from her near death experience. Shinbashi and Razor did return during that time, and in less severe condition than their leader, but neither of them were willing to talk about the experience except with their fellow teammates Dekka and Ronja. There was still more surprise to come, though. On the tenth day, after waking up from her coma, Razor finally became fully conscious and—much to Aura's shock—was on her feet and more or less roaming through the Haven. She obstinately fought all efforts from the Chansey nurses to get her back in bed—it was clear that she detested inactivity as much as Aura did, possibly even more. Ronja was greatly amused by this, and said to Aura one day while watching his leader snatching various berries from the kitchens, "Y'see, matey, the Chief's never been one of yore helpless types, least not for long. Wounds'll never heal up right if you don't toughen 'em a little, that's what she says." Before Aura could voice her concerns he continued cheerfully, "Besides, if you've the luck enough to see her fight some day, you'll see why she can't be beat nice and easy like other beasts." Ronja gave a smart wink through his skull helmet, as if conveying some secret knowledge.

"Are we ever going to find out what happened to Moltres?" Aura asked. "Or how Razor got hurt so badly?"

Ronja shrugged. "Sorry to say, lass, even I can't ever quite fathom what goes through the Chief's head at times. Aye, she's a strange one in times of trouble, so she is. But trust me on this—when the time comes, she'll talk."

That may have been true, but to Aura it felt like ages before the story finally got out in the open. This came on about the same day that Team Zakuro's fate was uncovered, twelve days after Alakazam's departure. Aura and Jay had decided to accompany Raichu and her two charges on a brief excursion out of the haven—it was a large sanctuary, but everybody was going a bit stir crazy from being cooped up indoors all the time. However, conditions beyond the base were still unsafe for taking inexperienced travelers out on a trip, so the farthest they went was to the citadel where Ronja and Dekka had dropped Aura off before. Pichu and Zigzagoon were having a ball clambering on top of the sprawling branches of the central tree, which made Aura nervous. Even with Raichu literally going out on a limb herself to help them keep from falling, she was still wary about the possibility of one of the small children falling and sustaining grave injury. This wasn't to say that she and Jay did not climb—they just remained on the lower branches, closer to the ground.

Jay paused and looked up at the sky. After a second he said, "Oh, man, seriously?"

Aura blinked and looked over at him. "What? What's wrong?"

Jay motioned to the flakes falling lightly around them. "Watch them closely."

It took Aura a moment to realize—most of the flakes were _melting._ According to the searchers, ashes had kept falling for days, so when she'd come out here to see white particles falling from the sky she'd thought nothing of it. Now that she noticed, though, it _was_ colder than it had been the last time she was outside…

Her heart sank. "You mean we're going back to snow again?"

"Afraid so." Jay nodded. "I guess the firestorms and landslides weren't enough."

"Wup!" Aura heard a shout above them, and looked up in time to see Raichu's tail whip out, catching a teetering Pichu before she could slip off of the branch. Pichu remained unfazed, crowing excitedly as she scrambled up Raichu's tail and back onto her head.

"Raichu, be careful!" Aura couldn't help calling. "We don't know how old some of these branches are!"

"Wha? Me?" Raichu's ears flicked as she looked down blankly at Aura, using one paw to keep Pichu safe on her head. She looked as though she was about to say something, but suddenly turned. "Zigzagoon! Hey, watch out for that!" She turned and began making her way along the tree limb, treating it much like a tightrope and sitting Pichu on one shoulder.

"That is one seriously agile Pokemon," Jay admired. "It takes balance to stay up like that."

Aura nodded vaguely. "What do you think happened to Dai and the others? If the disaster hit Delta Pass, which I'm thinking it did, then they should have been home by now…right?"

"I'm actually not sure," Jay admitted. "If the place is as far away from this region as I think it is, there might be a chance they weren't hit. But even if they were…I'm sure they're fine, Aura. They're pretty tough."

"Yeah…" Aura bit her lip. She just wasn't convinced. Having witnessed a disaster like she had, it wasn't easy for her to even imagine for a second that Dai and her partners had somehow escaped that carnage unharmed. In fact, it was all too easy for her to think that the worst had happened…

"They'll be okay," Raichu's voice floated down to them from the very top of the tree. "Three months ago they went to Wyvern Hill to pull an April Fool's prank with another team. I forget the name…Red…no, wait…was it Ocean…maybe Prestige…or it could have been Funpass…nah, that's not it either. Anyways," she continued, apparently giving up on remembering the name, "while they were there they got caught up in a really huge mess with some kinda dragon Pokemon. Dai was really freaked—that was the scariest time for her, I think—but they all came out alive when it was over!"

"Really?" That actually made Aura feel a little better.

"Yup! It all ended up being a joke in the end, though." Raichu laughed. "I got to do the lightning effects and flashing lights, and Khalil was the booming voice! It was fun!"

So much for Aura not worrying.

The hidden door behind them slid inwards with a low grumble, and she looked over to see Razor emerge limping from the tunnel. Bandages had been wrapped around the entirety of her torso, particularly heavy on her backside. Every time she moved she showed obvious signs of pain. "Gah. I swear," Razor muttered, looking incredibly annoyed, "if I get one more giant pink egg telling me to take a Sleep Seed and go lie down…hey, kids."

"Hey," Jay greeted. Aura blinked, realizing that while Raichu had been talking Jay had moved a few branches above her. "Isn't your back hurting?"

"Ya think?" Razor groaned as she sank down to sit against the trunk of the tree, grimacing a little. "Still feels like a Kabutops sliced clear to my spine, but I'm going to live. What matters is that I'm not paralyzed, or else I'd have to break somebody's legs."

"Um, I don't know how you would accomplish that if you were incapitated. But okay." Jay grinned jokingly.

Razor smirked. "Trust me, I have my ways. In any case, I had to get out of there before I went crazy." She drew in a deep breath. "Nice to be outside again."

"That's two of us," Aura agreed. She did feel less stiff now that she'd had a chance to stretch out her cramped muscles. It also helped that the air was a little cleaner and relatively free of smoke. "But I'm surprised that you weren't killed by that wound."

"Mm-hm. Must be harder to imagine when you felt the pain as your own." Razor chuckled at the dumbfounded expression on Aura's face. "I know about the Dimensional Scream. Relax, my lips are sealed. How's your arm?" she asked, apparently changing the subject.

"Huh? Oh. It's doing good." Aura lifted her splinted arm for Razor to see. "It's already less painful."

"Let me see?" Razor asked curiously. She carefully took hold of Aura's wrist, lightly probing it two or three times with a claw. As she did so, Aura noticed a puzzled look come over her face. "Wait…that can't be right," she muttered, frowning ever so slightly.

"What is it?" Aura asked. She was a little nervous—had something gone wrong with her arm?

"I'm actually not sure myself." Razor looked thoughtful for a moment. "I need a better look. This might sting a little, but it's only for a few seconds."

Before Aura could ask what she meant, Razor's claws sparked slightly, and an odd tingling suddenly spread up her arm. Aura realized with a cold shock that Razor's eyes had gone white, the pupils narrowing to little more than a line-thin slit. Razor remained motionless for almost five seconds, keeping her hand on Aura's wrist the entire time. Then she released Aura, her eyes reverting back to normal as she did so.

"The tingling should stop in a minute," she said vaguely.

Aura just stared at her. "Razor…what….what did you do?"

Razor shrugged vaguely, still looking disturbed. "I just used a minimal charge to get a read on what's going on inside your arm. It's basically the same as a Psychic reading your mind, only it's with physical injuries."

This didn't help her confusion. Aura looked up at Jay for an explanation. "Jay?"

Jay grinned. "She's part Electric-type. Delta species."

"Your arm," Razor spoke up, taking Aura's attention again. "It's almost healed."

Aura didn't see what she was getting at. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"After a week and a half?" Razor fixed her intense stare on Aura's. "It takes months for broken bones of any kind to mend. I don't know what's going on, squirt, but either I slept longer than I thought or your rate of regeneration is seriously screwed up."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence that followed after this. This silence was only broken as Raichu suddenly shouted something.

"Oh, Arceus—DAI!!" Aura jumped as Raichu suddenly dropped down next to her, carrying Pichu and Zigzagoon.

"Rai—" Aura started to say, but was cut off as Raichu thrust the two children at her.

"Keep them here!" she shouted. Aura was mortified to see that Raichu actually looked scared. All she could do in her confusion was to take the kids from her as Raichu scrambled down to the ground, bolting off towards the crevice. "Dai! DAI!"

Wait a minute! _Dai?_

"Give 'em here." Razor held out an arm, gesturing for Aura to hand her the children. There was something in her eyes that looked grimly foreboding. "I'll take them inside. You and Jay go with her."

Aura numbly nodded her thanks and handed Pichu and a squirming Zigzagoon to her. Without warning Razor's arm suddenly flashed out, her leaf blades slashing through Aura's splint and cutting it free. "You won't need that. Now go."

Aura did not need to be told twice. She leapt down from the branch, stumbling a little upon landing, and took off after Raichu. The electric Pokemon was already quite a ways down the path, having stopped just before the end of the crevice, but catching up to her was easy.

It was what was happening there, and the limp form Raichu was bent over, that scared Aura.

Dai was forbiddingly still, her eyes shut and ears and tail lying limp. Aura's breath halted in her throat. _She was dead. She was dead, she had to be, nobody could survive like that…_

This notion was dispelled when she saw Dai's side rise just a fraction of an inch, then fall again. She was alive—but in terrible condition. Her breathing was shallow and had a dry rasp to it, just another of the signs that showed how much she had gone through. Her fur was dull and clammy, clumped from grime and ashes, and her sensitive paw pads were torn and bloodied. Aura hesitantly reached out to touch a paw to her forehead, only to yank it away again. Dai's forehead was dangerously warm. Aura's spine chilled in realization of the fact that she was very sick.

"What…" Aura swallowed, her head spinning. "What happened to her?"

"Delta Pass," another voice said sourly next to her. "That's what happened."

She looked up to see Absol standing to her left. Right away she was struck by how thin and weary he looked—she could almost see his ribs through his sides, and soot had colored both his fur and face an unsettling, lifeless shade of gray. His voice was strained as he continued to speak. "She got a fever earlier on, and the idiot didn't even stop to rest. Then the Pass got practically blowtorched from above. It's a miracle she even got out of that place alive. We only heard that everybody was gathering her about two days ago."

Aura looked around, fear rising as she realized the team was short one member. "Blaziken…where's Blaziken?"

Absol did not respond for a few seconds. Then, quietly, he said, "Blaziken stayed. He…sent us back, and stayed to finish the mission. But he was pretty bad off…had a broken hand, and was approaching pneumonia."

Jay appeared next to Aura. "How long has Dai had this fever?"

"About three weeks. It hasn't killed her yet, but it will if we just stand around like we're doing now," Absol said darkly. He looked over at Raichu. "Take her inside. I need to speak to Razor. Where is she?"

"Razor's…" At a loss for words, Aura pointed down the path, towards the citadel. "Why? What's going on?"

"That's what I plan on finding out," Absol said through clenched jaws, his eyes slitting ominously. "Your reptile friend apparently knows something we don't, and I'm going to find out what it is if I have to beat it out of her."

Aura was stunned—she'd had no idea that Absol could be this savage. "Absol, no!" she protested. "She's already wounded! Her back—"

"Look, your Highness," Absol snapped, whirling around to face her, "the point of the matter is, there is something seriously wrong going on here. Dai could have died in that place, you know that?!" He jerked his head towards the citadel, where Raichu was already disappearing inside with Dai on her back. "And if Razor knew something that could have stopped it from happening, then the hell be damned if I don't—"

"It was something to do with Moltres," Jay broke in suddenly, stepping between them. "I don't know exactly what happened, but Razor got hurt bad in the middle of it. She only woke up about two days ago, and she hasn't said a word about it yet. I think…" Here, Jay seemed a little hesitant. "I think she was waiting for you guys to return."

Absol ground his teeth, muttering something that was probably highly offensive in an unfamiliar language, but took off towards the citadel all the same. Aura exchanged a nervous look with Jay before following him.

Razor was already back at the tree waiting for them, having taken Pichu and Zigzagoon inside. She looked up as Absol approached. "Yes?"

"The disaster. You know what caused it." Absol's voice was accusing, sharp as a dagger. Razor, however, did not look particularly intimidated by the rage in his voice.

"Theory, but yes, it is a pretty solid one." She shrugged.

"And? Sometime _now_, please," Absol snapped.

Razor continued to stare coolly up at him. She said nothing at first, and Aura judged by the way he was digging his claws into the ground that Absol was about to lose his temper. Razor finally said, "Come inside with me. You two also." She gestured to Jay and Aura. "It's a long story, and you may not like what you hear."

Absol stepped in between her and the hidden door, blocking her path. "You'll tell me now." His voice was cold and flat.

Razor was not pleased by this. "Look, Blade Boy, I promise you I'll give you the details when we're with the others. They have the right to know too. But do you really want to know? Fine." She narrowed her eyes at him. "The main gist of it is: Moltres is dead."

There was a shocked silence following this. Then Absol snarled, "At your hands, right?"

"Please!" Razor snapped at him. "Credit us with _some _accountability, at least! He was already dead when we got there."

At last, Aura somehow managed to speak. "Was it….a result of the disaster?"

"No. Before that." Razor's next words chilled Aura to the heart.

"Moltres wasn't killed by natural causes—it was murder. And we fought his killer."

TBC…


	23. Chapter 22: Familiar Connections

**For some reason I'm really craving Chinese food lately. I'm particularly fond of orange chicken and ramen. And rice…especially jasmine rice, cooked just right with soy sauce and furikake (a rice seasoning from Japan, which consists of sesame seeds and seaweed.) I've even been deliberately sleeping late some days, just so I would have to buy from the Chinese food stand in our cafeteria. Not good for me…someday I'm gonna make myself sick from all that soy sauce…lol. I also really like sweet potatoes, for some odd reason. They're currently my third favorite, right beneath sushi and Italian food (seafood fits in the Italian category—calamari FTW!). And when it comes to cake, I'm a chocolate-cherry kind of girl. Yup. Cheesecake is good too. Oh, and so are potato chips, especially the kettle-cooked, all natural kind. My favorite flavors for those are plain, barbeque, and vinegar with salt…AH! Why am I talking about my favorite foods?? O-o Wow, I let my mind wander…sorry! Anyways, here's Chapter 22! I still have yet to bring in the villains and decide which legendary Pokemon have yet to play a part in this story, but aside from little side references I think I'm done bringing in characters. Yup yup. Now you might be able to make a scorecard to keep track of all the people I keep creating? Or better yet! Work on your plans for world domination! There's an idea for ya! X3**

- - -

Ch. 22: Familiar Connections

"I should have guessed from the beginning what had happened. All the signs were right there in front of our faces—even the irregular climate should have tipped us off."

"Irregular? What do you mean?" one particularly fidgety Pokemon asked from the side of the room.

"What I mean," Razor explained, "is that Mount Blaze is hardly even recognizable anymore. Most of the lava has stopped flowing entirely, and whatever heat's still left in the volcano is melting the snow and turning the place into nothing but slush, rocks, and steam. Besides that, there weren't signs of life. Not a single Pokemon in sight. That alone wasn't right. Usually the place is teeming with wildlife, and with someone like Moltres guarding the volcano there's no way that place should have been able to succumb to the blizzards we've been having everywhere else."

Just minutes earlier everybody had been getting ready for lunch in the main hall. However, when word had spread that Razor was about to finally share her team's account, food was quickly forgotten and left sitting untouched, and messengers dispatched to retrieve the few teams sorting through the wreckage outside. The main hall itself was an impressive room, round and colossal with a towering ceiling that reached a good thirty or forty yards from the ground and wooden pillars bordering the room to support the weight of the formation above. Tables and benches had been aligned in rows on the mosaic terra cotta floor, transforming the place into a temporary mess hall. These apparently were not the only seats available, though—many Pokemon were perched comfortably on small ledges in the walls or on the backs or shoulders of larger Pokemon. Aura, standing just a few feet away from Razor along with Jay and Jack, had already looked up to see Ryrku dangling her legs from a ceiling rafter above them. Ryrku gave a little half-wave in greeting, and Aura turned her attention back to those at ground level. She was surprised, and also oddly relieved, to see two familiar bear-like Pokemon through a gap in the crowd. Teddiursa was anxiously licking one of his paw pads, his free paw clasping little Tedi's reassuringly while his sister whimpered quietly. Aura realized guiltily that she'd hardly given the siblings another thought after the mission with Team Zakuro. Right away she was worried—should they really be listening to everything Razor was saying? How would they react to her story?

"And what about Moltres?" Absol was at the very front of the crowd, just as Jay had guessed he would be earlier. He had been hell bent on getting the full story as soon as possible, and so had practically dogged Razor's every step up until this moment. "How long was he dead? And who did it?"

A frightened murmur passed through those present, and Aura exchanged a brief look with Jay and Jack. If the feeling she was getting was anything to rely on, then they had had the same thought as her: _so much for not scaring the children._

Razor said nothing for a moment. Then, when she did speak, the grim note in her voice seemed to further charge the already tense atmosphere. "It was shortly before we got there, a few hours at most. His injuries were fresh enough that the blood flow was just starting to slow down."

"That's the way, Raze," Jack muttered next to Aura, and she caught a wave of sarcasm from him. Was it just her, or was her empathy getting stronger? "Force your images of death and violence on everyone else."

"Cool it, Jack," Razor said. She had not missed the comment. "Anyway…there was evidence that he was poisoned as well. Not fatally, but enough to slow him down a good deal—certainly enough for the killer to overcome type disadvantages and bring him down. And trust me, she would have needed the help."

Absol raised an eyebrow. "She?"

Razor nodded. "A Weavile. Jay and his friends have seen her before. Her name's Chanryl. She's part of the larger sigma that's supposed to control the Nightshade clan. She's one of their best assassins, in fact—for a coward, that is." Aura knew this time that she did not imagine the thick, pungent sense of contempt coming off of Razor. "She's timid even for a rogue. Mostly Chanryl avoids messy conflicts of any kind—poisons and a few words put into the right ears tend to do the job just as well. It had to take a heck of a lot of motivation for her to face Moltres head-on the way she did."

It took a few seconds for Jay and Jack's fear to reach Aura, but it gradually welled up slowly but unstoppably into her consciousness, rising to cold, penetrating terror. The effect was like being splashed with ice water. _Weavile!_ Weavile was the same one killing off the legendary birds! The same Weavile that had already tried to lead Aura and the others into an ambush those weeks ago! How on earth had Razor survived such a lethal encounter? She should have died from a wound that terrible! Aura would have known—she'd _seen it herself!_

Absol, on the other hand, either was ignoring her mounting panic or did not know about what had happened at the Buried Relic, for he did not appear quite as horrified as Aura was becoming. "And this…Chanryl, is it, she just attacked you out of the blue? If she's such a wimp, why didn't she run off once Moltres was dead?"

"Because assassinating Moltres wasn't her only job. She stayed to leave a message."

Aura jumped at least five inches into the air when the voice spoke up directly behind her. Rayne stepped out next to Razor at the center of the hall. Even without coming as close to death as her leader had, it was still clear that the fight had been rough on her as well, for a few of her rock-hard spikes had been chipped or even snapped off completely. These would grow back eventually, but it was still unnerving to see the damage. "Razor was the first one she went for. By the time Shinbashi and I realized what was happening, Chanryl had already cut close to her spine."

"The good news is that Razor was able to discharge enough electricity to generate a good amount of heat and scare our little ice weasel away from her." Aura turned to see Shinbashi's bulky frame towering over everybody else. The hulking Feraligatr currently had six Pokemon, three of them Ratatta, sitting on his shoulders and head. "Little bugger must have thought the volcano was erupting, she jumped away so fast."

Rayne nodded. "Yes, that. It may have saved Razor's life. That was when we broke into full-out combat. We managed to rough Chanryl up enough to force her to give up, but before she fled she told us this, 'You can't win. You have all of the Lifebane's followers and himself against you. Tell the Furious One we're ready for him to come back.'"

"So…I take it that means they're going to keep killing?" Absol asked rhetorically. "With both Articuno and Moltres gone there's only one bird left for them to go after, but even if they did all hell would break loose. I doubt that any homicidal maniac would want that, so why go to all the trouble?"

"Then you obviously know squat about the Sigma," Razor said flatly, her voice hardening. "They're not squeamish about putting their own lives on the line in the name of destroying all to make room for their great god. Just because we hurt Chanryl doesn't mean she won't keep trying—her efforts will only be postponed as long as it takes for her to recover. Worse, the Sigma may send somebody else in her place. And of course they're not going to forget us—she got a good look at each of our faces. You can expect there to be some effort at revenge."

"And revenge has to do with…?" Absol questioned testily. He was starting to become increasingly worked up over this.

"Nothing, in the grand scheme of things. Which is this: The last legendary Pokemon of the trio is in incredible danger. We have two choices as to what to do about it. Either we can sit back on our haunches and hope the Sigma will have a change of heart—fat chance—or we can get to Mount Thunder right away and, at the very least, warn Zapdos about what he will be up against and do what we can to protect him from that."

"I'll go," Absol said immediately. Razor rose an eyebrow.

"Confident," she said. "So soon after your return?"

"Who else is going to go? You?" Absol asked pointedly. "You shouldn't even be able to sit upright with a wound like that, let alone move around." He stepped forward and looked round at everybody. "I know Zapdos better than anybody here. He'll listen to me. I can get to Mount Thunder and back before the week is over. Let me go."

There was a heavy silence following this, as if nobody was quite sure how to respond to this. Finally, Aura heard Ryrku say, "And what if this 'Sigma' sends somebody worse than the Weavile? You plan on fighting _them?_"

"Oh, please. You're looking at someone who once brought down a rampaging Salamence. I can take care of myself. Besides, Zapdos should know by now that somebody's targeting the legendary birds. He'll be on his guard. Trust me, if anyone tries to fight him now, they won't be happy campers." Absol smirked. "Getting electrocuted with a torrent of lightning bolts and stabbed by a sharp beak tend to be exceptionally painful."

"Fine," Razor suddenly spoke up. Aura was shocked by the sudden wave of tension from her. "Get geared up and I'll meet you at the exit in ten. Everyone else, chill, go search, do whatever. I've pretty much wrapped things up here, anyways." With this the meeting was over—Razor and her team members went off down a corridor, and everybody else dispersed and went back to their activities. Absol crossed over to Aura and the others.

"Okay. I think that went over well," he said drily. "Don't you?"

"Absol, are you sure you can do this?" Jay asked him, concerned. "You guys had it rough at Delta Pass. Are you up for another mission so soon?"

"Heck, yeah!" Absol looked indignant. "These are just flesh wounds! I can keep going for way longer!"

"It might not be as easy as you think," Luma's voice said softly, as Luma himself stepped up next to Jay. "That was a pretty impressive injury Razor had, wasn't it?"

"So?"

"We're talking deadly here, Absol," Jack put in, crossing his arms. It was odd, and somewhat creepy, to Aura that they were all on the same wavelength here. "Razor's practically pseudo-legendary, she's that strong. For anybody to even be able to _scratch _her, they'd have to be…" He shrugged. "Use your imagination."

"Meh, true. But I'm not helpless either. I happen to have a few tricks up my own sleeves." Absol grinned wolfishly, baring his fangs. In truth, his confidence did squat to dispel Aura's unease. Since hearing Razor's words, a persistent nagging feeling had started gnawing at her gut…a feeling like something terrible was going to happen. It was almost instinct, even. "But Absol…" she began to protest, without really knowing what her argument would be.

"We can talk about recover when I get back," Absol interrupted, waving his paw impatiently. "But right now we have the last of the Avian trio in danger and a hell of a time waiting for us if we fail to protect him. I'll see you guys later," he said, bounding away out of sight. Before he disappeared, however, Aura's thoughts flashed to the scar on his back. Under other circumstances she would have thought nothing about it, but since the night of her horrifying nightmare she had to wonder: what was the story behind Absol's scar? What ordeal had he gone through in getting it?

"Aah, I'm gonna go too." Jack yawned and stretched his arms, then looked up at where Ryrku was still sitting. "Move you're a**, Ryrku, you coming with me to Kecleon's stall or what?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your tail in a twist, Sparky." Ryrku swung down from the rafter and stuck the landing. "Bye, guys."

Aura watched the two leave, hearing Ryrku's voice float back to them, "So what are you up for this time, Gummies or TMs?"

"Arceus, what are you, the most anticlimactic Treecko on earth? I thought you lived for creating havoc, for crying out loud. Now c'mon, I want to see if they managed to salvage any Blowback Orbs…"

"They're pretty calm," Luma observed.

Jay shrugged. "Jack's always been like that. Either he gripes and spouts sarcastic comments before a mission or he just ignores it. That's how his mind works."

"You know, I think I actually admire him for that. It takes a lot to pick yourself up and start working again so soon after a catastrophe."

Aura wasn't imagining it this time—Luma's waves were thick, cold with an unmistakable pang of sorrow. What was in Luma's past that made him like this? "Luma…" she said quietly.

"Hm?" Luma looked over at her, his face carefully blank of all emotion except for a mild curiosity. Looking him in the eye, Aura suddenly found that she couldn't bring herself to ask her question. If he did have a fragile background, what right did she have intruding on it?

"No…no, never mind," she said quickly. "It's nothing."

Luma seemed perplexed by this. However, he soon let it go. "I…see. I think. I'm going to see if there's anything I can do for…Dai, is it?"

Well. Aura hadn't been expecting that. "Technically it's Darienne, but yes, we do call her that to simplify things. How did you know…?"

"Word gets around pretty easily when the entire community is indoors." Luma gave a small smile. "That, and I haven't done much to help out since I got here. I wouldn't feel right just sitting and doing nothing while she suffers, not after everything she went through to help us. But I'm amazed…it's shocking that she could survive something like she did." His voice suddenly dropped, and Aura heard him barely whisper something that seemed to be along the lines of "she must really be something else…"

Aura's ears stood straight. Odd. His wave had become…light. It was a strange feeling, one she couldn't identify. "What's that?"

She was surprised when Luma jumped a little. "Oh! Nothing," he said quickly. "I'm going now." He shook himself off and left, emanating flustered embarrassment.

What on earth was that about?

"Did I miss something?" she asked Jay. "What just happened?"

Jay was actually smiling knowingly. "Yeah, I think I know what it was. For Luma's sake, though, I won't go into it. Let it go for now. Oh, by the way," he said, changing the topic, "I was supposed to tell you earlier, but with all the excitement it slipped my mind. Ronja wants to see you later. I can help you find the place."

"Ronja?" Aura inwardly wondered what the Marowak was up to. "Did he say why?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"…and?"

Jay's grin got wider. "It's a surprise. You'll find out when we get there."

_Oh._ Aura gave a small groan. For once she would have liked to know what to expect. She was getting tired of all the 'surprises'.

"Alright…where is he?" she asked reluctantly.

- - - - -

Absol admittedly hadn't expected Razor to really be waiting for him by the ancient tree in the clearing. The fact that she was meant that whatever it was she wanted to tell him about, it was serious. He sighed and moved out into the open, a small breeze ruffling his ragged white fur. Since coming back he had been able to get his first real meal in weeks, so his strength was returning, but to be frankly honest he wasn't exactly in prime condition. It was going to take a month or two for him to regain the weight he'd lost at the Pass. Fortunately he had been made to last for way longer without food than a couple months. It had been a necessary adaptation, for in the frozen climes of the Frosty Forest it was almost impossible for one to predict when one would next find something to eat. Even when underfed he was still dangerous enough to be a huge problem for whoever tried to cross him.

_No wonder everybody hates us,_ he thought dryly. _Only the "Disaster Pokemon" can go to hell and back and come back in one piece. Which I did. Ha. Next time I should send a postcard._

Razor was leaning back against the tree, eyes closed and staying stock still save for chewing some sort of reed. Had it not been for this single movement, it could be presumed that she had fallen asleep standing up. An amber colored eye slitted open to watch Absol.

"No gear?" she questioned, seeing the obvious lack of a Toolbox or equipment on his person.

Absol shrugged. "It would only slow me down. I have to travel fast."

Razor closed her eye again. "If you say so…_Raid."_

Absol had been about to head on out through the canyon, but stopped. He twisted around to look behind him at his acquaintance from so many years ago. "You used my real name," he stated plainly. "Bold."

"I needed to catch your attention, make sure you stayed long enough to hear me out." Razor looked him in the eye. "What you're doing is reckless. Do you really think Zapdos is going to want to listen to any random Pokemon that shows up and starts talking to him out of the blue? He's going to be suspicious."

"You forget, I saved his neck three hundred years ago," Absol said calmly. "Sure he's got a hot temper, but he doesn't forget favors like that."

"Neither does the Sigma. Assassin's don't really forget members who go rogue on a mission and then depart without a word."

"Let them come. They're not what matters."

"And what about Dai?"

Much to Absol's dismay, he realized that he was at a loss for how to respond. Razor must have realized this, because she continued, "Maybe you haven't noticed, Raid, but Dai's the kind who cherishes the friendships she has. It's bad enough that you lost Blaziken at Delta Pass—she's going to be heartbroken over that alone. Now imagine how it would affect her if something were to happen to _you._ How would she feel to lose both of her partners? And if the Sigma doesn't get you, they'll kill her just to prove a point."

Absol's teeth clenched—it really grinded his nerves that Razor was talking right now like she knew everything. Worse, she was right.

Like hell he would give her the satisfaction of rattling him.

"I am not going to be killed, and they're not going to lay a finger on her," he insisted flatly. Then, fed by bitter resentment, he decided to go ahead and throw Razor's words back in her face. "Besides, what would a _freelancer_ know of allegiances?" he added scornfully. "Tell me that, _Agwyn."_

_SNAP._

A muscle leapt visibly in Razor's—Agwyn's—face as her fangs severed clear through the unfortunate reed. Good, he'd succeeded at goading her.

"I told you never to call me by that name," she growled in a low, furious voice. "Agwyn is dead. That Pokemon doesn't exist anymore."

"So you're hiding behind an alias to run away from your sad, misspent youth. Real mature." Absol shook his head. He knew he was really pushing the envelope, but he didn't care. Let him have a moment of triumph. "What did happen, by the way? Was it when your beloved little brother disappeared? Did Primal Dialga's agents finally catch up to him, or did he just give up searching for Time Gears and go back to that dead forest he called his home?"

It was very well that Razor was hurt too badly to move very fast, or she might have killed him with her bare claws. Absol could have sworn the air around her was crackling out of sheer fury. "That's none of your godd*** business!" she roared. "He sacrificed everything he had to keep the darkness from taking over this world! That's _your_ world, ***hole!"

"And what did he get out of it? Not only did he lose his partner and get an entire town after his head, but he had to erase himself from history just to save everyone. That's quite some thanks for all his hard work." Absol turned to leave. "You should consider toning it down a little, Agwyn. It's very unbecoming of a ninja to shout. And if you see Altair and Morrigan again anytime soon, send them word from me."

"Just why the hell should I?" Razor snapped testily. "Morrigan's _your _ex-mate, not mine."

"No harm in checking." Absol's voice stayed calm and level as he loped away into the distance.

He did not need to look back to know that Razor had just shot him a rude, single-fingered gesture. She was always sore talking about her past life.

_Some people just never change, do they?_

TBC…


	24. Chapter 23: The Life Within Destruction

**Okay, okay. I've probably procrastinated enough. Geez…summer…making me spend all day doing the other stuff I didn't have time for in school… (*cough* KINGDOM HEARTS 2!! AND SWIMMING!! *cough cough*) Anyways, sorry it took so long for this chapter. Please do enjoy.**

**Oh, yes, and one quick note in regards to KH2—DOES AXEL FREAKING KICK BUTT OR WHAT?! SO AWESOME!!! =D**

**- - -**

Ch. 23: The Life Within Destruction

It took Luma only a short amount of asking around to locate the small guest chamber Dai had been set up in. The room had a comfortable sort of feel to it, tucked far away from the noise and bustle and gently lit by Luminous Orbs placed in wall sconces and on a small shelf on the left wall. Inside and to his right was a plain wooden table laden wit a small bowl of fruit and a water canteen, while closer to the opposite wall was a simple wooden frame stuffed with soft grass to form a makeshift nest, inside of which Dai lay curled up and fast asleep. Most of the soot and grime had been washed from her fur, and her torn paws cleansed and bandaged. Raichu had refused to bring Dai to the infirmary the others used, insisting on nursing her injured friend back to health herself. Either she was very erratic or very protective, or a combination of the two—she might have realized, as Luma did, that to let Dai wake up surrounded by other casualties would only drive home the brutality of the disaster, maybe even scar her emotionally for life. Judging by the open box of yellow Gummies next to the bed, this must have been where Raichu had taken up residence after the village's destruction. That would explain why she was on the floor snoring next to the occupied bed.

Upon entering Luma found that he was unable, for some reason, to take his eyes off of the Espeon. Perhaps because of his lack of attention to his surroundings, his paw slipped on the edge of a tilted floor tile and he tumbled forward with a startled yelp to smack into Raichu's sleeping form.

"Snrk—HAH!? Whowhatwhenwherewhy!?" she yelled, snapping awake and already letting off large bursts of electricity while thrashing in a startled panic. It was all Luma could do to untangle himself and leap back and out of the way in time to avoid a long, brown leg kicking out with blinding speed at where his head had just been. Just a second later and he definitely would have woken up the next morning with a large bruise!

"Raichu! Raichu, calm! Just—_ack!"_ He yelped again and skittered over to the other side of the room as a miniature lightning bolt zapped his flank. "Raichu, it's me! It's me! Luma!" he protested through closed teeth, well aware that he might have already woken Dai up.

Raichu rolled into an upright position, blinking in dazed confusion and looked around as if lost in a dream. "Whaaa…"

Luma relaxed and sighed. At least she had stopped trying to electrocute him! "Sorry, sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going, and I guess I tripped over my paws. Sorry for waking you up."

Raichu said nothing, her gaze foxed blankly on the floor in front of her. "Uh…Raichu?" Luma said.

"…you know?" She reached out and tapped the tile Luma had just tripped over, still looking thoughtful. "I think the floor's crooked. Right here. See?"

Luma blinked once. Twice. Was her attention span really so limited? "Err…Rai? I was wondering if I could watch Dai for a while. Would that be okay?"

To his complete amazement, Raichu responded with something relevant. "Sure, but if she wakes up give her one of the Oran berries in the bowl over there, 'kay? And also, there's a rag over next to the canteen, just get it wet and put it on her forehead for a few minutes now and then. There's some Rawst berries, too—I gave some to her earlier and I think they're helping to bring the fever down, so give her a couple of those too, okay? And, and…what else…" A questioning look passed over her face for a brief moment. "I think that's it. Let her sleep right now, okay?"

"Of course." Luma nodded to her. "I'll look out for her. Thanks, Raichu."

Raichu grinned and nodded back. She started to leave, hesitated, and went back to grab a pawful of Gummies before exiting the room. Left in the following silence, Luma stood for a few seconds and padded over to the bed—

--to find Dai staring up at him with open eyes.

_Err…_ Luma froze, feeling awkward and even guilty. "You…you're awake?" he asked, realizing the redundancy of this statement only after the words had left his mouth. She nodded, and he winced. "Sorry."

"S'okay…" she mumbled. There was something in her voice that sounded…detached. Or was it grieving? Luma couldn't tell.

"Are you sure?" he couldn't help asking. "After…everything that happened?"

Right away he knew he'd made a mistake. Dai looked as if she was going to burst into tears. "No, never mind, it's fine," he said quickly, mentally kicking himself. "You don't have to talk about it. I'm sorry."

"No, it's…" Dai turned her face away. "I just…I shouldn't have left him there…"

"Him?" It took Luma a second to realize who she was talking about. Then it dawned on him. "Oh."

"It wasn't fair," she went on, her voice quavering. "Blaziken went through so much with me, he and Absol both, they went to the trouble of looking out for me, and I just _brushed them off._ I was being too stubborn about staying to finish the rescue, and now look what I've done—Blaziken's gone, maybe even dead, all because of _me._ How am I supposed to show my face in front of everyone now, after everything I did wrong? I—"

"Hold on," Luma interrupted before she could beat herself up further. "I thought Blaziken stayed on his own choice?"

"And I should have told him no." Dai shook her head. "I'm his leader, I should have done what was best and made him come with us. But I didn't, and now he's suffering in _my_ place." She paused, sniffling. "I can't even call myself his friend."

Luma was silent, not sure what to say to this. Inwardly he was berating himself for not acting on the spot and comforting this heartbroken girl. _Say something, for the love of Arceus, don't just stand there and let her cry herself empty like you're doing now!_ His mind shouted at him.

He settled for saying what came to the tip of his tongue: "I don't think Blaziken blames you for what happened. Or Absol, for that matter, or anybody else."

After a second she turned to face him, looking confused. Luma found himself talking to fill up the silence. "What I mean is that if Blaziken really is one of your closest friends, he would have done what he did in order to keep you from getting hurt worse than you were. He must have had complete faith that you would come back for him once you were recovered, or else he wouldn't have stayed to find the remaining teams in your place. Don't you think that's true? And, maybe because of that, he'll be doing whatever he has to do to survive until you and Absol can come for him. So I don't think we have to worry about him dying. Now with all that said, what do you think he'd say if he saw you punishing yourself like this? I doubt he would appreciate that."

After a moment Dai shook her head again. "He'd hit me on the head and yell at me to pull myself together, like he always does." She gave a weak, half-hearted laugh, and relief washed in to replace the awkwardness Luma was feeling. Thank Arceus, maybe the depression was starting to lift at last! At the same time, he thought it was a bit unusual that he had room to worry over another Pokemon. Hadn't the last few years been focused on surviving for his own good, after all? This was strange.

"Here." He momentarily left her side and went to the table to retrieve an Oran berry. "Eat this," he said, crossing back over and placing the small blue fruit on the edge of the bed. Dai looked up at him for a second, then took the berry in between her paws and began to eat. Watching her, Luma somehow knew she was going to be alright. He couldn't explain it, but it suddenly struck him that in effect and considering the circumstances…well, she was quite beautiful.

_Whoa._ Where had that thought come from? Luma gave himself a small shake, self conscious of his face warming up. He honestly hoped Dai hadn't noticed that…he was soon relieved to see that she appeared to have been overcome by fatigue again, for she set the half-eaten berry aside and let her head lie on her paws with eyes closed.

"Thank you," she mumbled softly.

"Anytime," Luma assured her, taking the berry away to put it on the table for later. "Go ahead and sleep. I'll be here if you need anything." As Dai was starting to drift off, he decided that he might as well introduce himself. "I'm Luma."

He was startled by the response he got. "I know…" Dai whispered before drifting off, her side rising and falling in slow, even movements.

Luma blinked, staring at the sleeping feline form in surprise.

_How did she know my name?_

- - -

'Um, Jay? Where do we have two meeting halls in this place?"

Jay looked incredulous. "What makes you think this is a hall? I've practiced here myself hundreds of times."

"Practiced?" Aura looked around the wide room again. It had been constructed from black granite, though cedar panels had been set in the center of the floor in a rectangular shape. Pillars made of the same wood lined the walls lengthwise on either side. Both the pillars and the floor showed evidence of having been marred or scuffed in the past, though they had been sanded down so well that the marks could hardly be seen anymore. Aura imagined that they could easily withstand a battering of any kind—

Then it hit her. _Of course._ Cedar was durable yet soft enough to give a little, cushioning impact and providing less chance of serious injury. Not only that, the room had been designed to leave plenty of room for movement. "It's a dojo," she said, voicing her realization out loud.

"Yup. Although personally, I'm a little surprised that it's still in such good condition." Jay made his way over to sit next to a pillar. "I would've thought this wood would start to decompose after all these years, especially being underground and all. Someone must have been taking care of the place." Aura thought she could hear the hints of a smile in his voice. "Just like Dad did…"

Aura became aware of a slight rush of air behind her. She instinctively jumped to the side right as something whizzed by her ear—something long and white. Shaken, and already pumped with adrenaline, she turned her dodge into a pivoting cartwheel, righting herself to face the attacker. Before she could make identifications, however, a heavy, blunt object slammed into the back of her head, bringing fireworks into her vision and sending her falling to the floor with an audible thud.

"Ow…" It took a few moments for Aura to recover from the blow. When she did, she opened her eyes to see a familiar skull staring down at her.

"By the skull…" Ronja said quietly. "Matey, you look like somebeast what just got caught swiping treasure from under a Garchomp's nose."

"Oh, thank you so much for that." Aura groaned as she pushed herself stiffly into a sitting position, raising a paw gingerly to the spot where her head was throbbing the worst. "But did you have to do that?"

"That was a test, mate. I've got to keep you sharp on your paws one way or another, don't I now?"

Aura stared at him. "I don't follow."

Ronja stood from his kneeling position and ambled over to retrieve his bone. After hitting Aura it had skidded some yards away before coming to rest. "This is all training, lassie. The Chief wants me to teach you in combat, so you can hold your own if you ever get caught in a tight spot."

Aura could not find words for a few seconds. "Razor told you to…train me?"

"Aye. Razor did."

She turned her stare to Jay, who laughed a little. "Yeah, I knew. She wanted me to come along to keep things from getting too chaotic."

Aura pondered over this news for a while. _Razor?_ Razor was arranging this? But why? Maybe it really was just to keep her sharp, but still…Aura couldn't deny a tight feeling in her gut. Was there another reason, one that she couldn't see?

"Any 'ow," Ronja went on cheerfully, "we're going to be incredibly busy if you haven't guessed, mates. We'll be expecting you here every morning after mess. Each session will start with studies of separate fighting styles and tactics, followed by a two-hour spar. The Chief will take you through the textbook work—and, once she figures you've become tough enough, she'll eventually fight you 'erself. Today you'll get a good idea what you'll be up against. Lass, I hope you're ready to become a full-fledged warrior!"

For the first time since arriving at the Haven, Aura felt trapped. Her thoughts lingered on the powerful ambush she had fallen into just moments earlier. To think she was going to go through that again every day…and fighting Razor, too…just thinking about it made her head ache worse. All the same, she wasn't going to back down from this. Doing so would only be a sign of cowardice, of unwillingness to confront a challenge. Besides, she realized, she needed this. If Chanryl were to make another bold move…

Maybe Razor was smarter than Aura thought.

At the same time she had this thought, she heard another rushing of air alerting her to an incoming attack. Ducking down to dodge the bone, she instead hit something solid, and without warning her legs were kicked out from under her, sending her crashing onto her back again.

"You'll have to do better than that, mate!" she heard Ronja's cheery voice. "You can't afford to let your guard down when you're out on the field!"

Aura groaned and restarted the painful climb back onto her feet. "Thanks for the lesson."

The next hour and a half proceeded in a similar manner. Ronja would attack, Aura would try with limited success to either dodge or occasionally parry. More than once she was clubbed sharply on the head, back, or legs despite her best efforts to avoid the Marowak's constant offensive whirlwind. She was astounded by the speed with which Ronja moved—he manipulated his bone with incredible dexterity, using it as multiple weapons in one—stave, club, boomerang…it was all Aura could do just to stay one step away from getting knocked unconscious, with Ronja barking out instructions and advice. His attacks weren't limited to just the bone, either. On occasion he would feint an attack, then drop down close to the ground and unleash a blinding kick to knock Aura off her feet. He certainly seemed to be taking his new job to heart—at least, it looked like he wasn't holding back, thus forcing Aura to use all her strength to keep up. By the time he finally called a stop, she had gotten in maybe four glancing blows compared to his sixty-something hits, and she felt ready to drop. It felt as though every part of her body ached, and she was sure she would wake up the next day with some bruises. She slumped down to sit on the floor, panting raggedly after her near beating. Ronja, of course, had hardly even broken a sweat, and stood nearby with the end of his bone steadied against the floor, leaning against it for support.

"There, you see? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" he asked without abandoning his jolly air.

"Uhhn." Aura winced as she discovered a newly forming bruise on her side.

"You'll get used to it after a few days, mate. You just need time to toughen up some more. But stripe me, you blew my expectations out of the water. That was some fight you put up there!"

"Sure. Uh-huh. Okay." Aura's tired mind could not think of anything more intelligent to say. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to take deep breaths to clear her head. Then there was a soft padding of feet as Jay approached her.

"Don't worry, I think he'll go easy on you," he told her. "I noticed during the fight that he was holding back a little."

Aura opened her eyes and looked up at him with an incredulous expression. "You mean that was his _minimal_ effort?"

"Yep." Jay nodded. Aura groaned and tilted her head forwards until her forehead was resting against the ridges on her paws. How much more of this could she take?

"Why did Razor pick me?" she said. "There are tons of other Pokemon out there that need training, so why me?"

Jay shrugged. "Who knows? I think she sees something special in you."

Something special? Or was it her Dimensional Scream that had her in Razor's sights? She was suddenly reminded of all Luma had said on the day she had reached the Haven, and lifted her head again, this time looking at Ronja. "Ronja?" she asked after a slight hesitation. "Do you happen to know anything about a Pokemon they call the Lifebane?"

Ronja was silent for a long moment, staring off into space thoughtfully. "That's a delicate question, mate," he finally said.

Aura's heart sank. "Does that mean you won't tell me?"

"I'll tell you, but only because the Chief prob'ly won't." Ronja shifted position, still leaning against the bone as he scratched his stomach. "Lore has it that besides the Legendary Deities, Arceus once had two servants to do her bidding. Each had a task of their own—Shairou, the Guardian of Dimensions, kept watch over the boundaries keeping the worlds separate and stood for the justice in this world, while 'er mate Cainxion, the Knight of the Dusk, worked at preserving the life of the worlds in question and held reign over the elements of nature. Now you 'ave to understand that at the time, folks believed greatly that there were other realms of existence besides our own—alas, nowadays it's naught but an old fairy tale, though sometimes some phenomenon will happen to remind us otherwise. Your friend Darienne 'erself is just one example of an occurrence that has been happening for countless ages. Maybe it's tied to humans existing in our past, or maybe it's somethin' else entirely, but she's not the only human to have woken up in our world with a form not their own. Prob'ly the prime example of this would be Remene Aristare, a renowned scholar from long before Pokemon Square or Treasure Town came about. You didn't know, mates?" Ronja asked, seeing both Jay and Aura's shocked expressions.

"No," they said in unison.

"Well, now y'do. Any how, I'm straying off track. Just as there were separate realms, there was also the belief of synchronized duplicity, that somewhere in the void there were beings that could take up more than one identity." Here, he paused for a second before continuing. "There was a warrior with an apprentice—the lil' one was one of them. Some'ow the child's soul was masked by two others residing in it—souls that perfectly matched those of Cainxion and Shairou. As a result the apprentice had an incredible heart of light, but just as much darkness raging within. It was a neverending conflict that eventually led to an act of complete destruction."

"Seeing the power inside this child, Arceus saw that it was such that could completely shatter all walls keeping the worlds from chaos, bringing ruin to all life. To keep this from happening she bade her two servants to place a seal on the child that would banish the surplus souls and rid the world of the risk. But Cainxion, when he approached the apprentice, was tempted by the darkness he saw. He thought he could use this power to increase his own, maybe even take Arceus' throne and make himself the One ruler. So, he went against his orders and turned on Shairou, slaying her so as to obliterate any immediate resistance against his desires. The thing was, doing this some 'ow caused the part of the apprentice's soul that was light to die along with Shairou, which amplified the power of the darkness he was after. Overtaken by the bloodlust and rage that was the shadows, Cainxion then turned his sights on the apprentice, aiming to strike the child down and take that darkness for himself. Soon, however, Arceus learned of this treachery, and moved to intervene. Stripping him of all powers, she then banished her renegade servant to the deep, limitless confines of the Dark World, where even he could hold no sway over the realms. She had intended to use the time afterwards to finish what her followers had failed to do, but without the Guardians protecting the order of things the realms were already beginning to crumble and fall apart, and by that time a Pokemon in the mortal race that is us had seen the apprentice as well, and plotted to use its darkness as a tool to gain access to the Interrealm Temple, the source of all life and energy. When the warrior tried to rescue his apprentice, there was a terrible battle that ensued, ultimately ending in the death of the apprentice."

"Unlike at the death of Shairou, though, the dark half of its soul did not fade but went to Cainxion, returning him to full power. It was at that point that Arceus decided to permanently cut off all passageway out of the Dark Realm, leaving it as a place of punishment for those souls of the dead that deserved it. If he were ever to get out, it's said that he has planned a rampaging massacre against all life forms as his revenge against the One that exiled him to a world of neverending peril and suffering. Given enough time, he might even consummate enough power to bring his wrath into the other realms. That's what led to the names Lifebane and Shadow's Rage that he was entitled with. After this act, Arceus labored endlessly at restoring life to the fallen Shairou. Despite her best efforts, though, there were still some chains preventing a total resurrection, and at best she was only able to give Shairou a new form with half the power she'd had in life. Maybe because of this Arceus established the rest of the legendaries to rule over what Shairou could not. The Avian Elements, for example, rule over nature's elements. Dialga and Palkia reign over time and space, respectively. The list goes on—Shairou's job still remains to keep our world separate from the others and preserve life. If all goes well, she'll keep doing just that for ages to come."

Having reached the end of his tale, Ronja stood straight, lifting his bone up and laying it to rest on his shoulder. "Any how, I figure I might've stuffed your poor heads with enough folklore now. Go get some grub and have the rest of the day to yourselves, mates. Remember, lass, be back here tomorrow morning, and we'll go into your training in earnest."

Aura did not hide it this time. The dejected sigh came, no problem.

TBC…


	25. Chapter 24: The Horror of a Scream

**So, um…yeah. "Explorers of the Sky" came out on the twelfth of this month. The sad news is, I have not been able to purchase it. Worse, I cannot find ANY information whatsoever in regards to the personality needed for each species and gender…if it turns out the game's switching back to gender-specific main characters, I'm gonna be fairly crushed. T_T All my hopes of becoming a Riolu…welp. If worst comes to worst, I can always just get a Vulpix or whatever as my result, and pick Riolu as the partner. **

**In other game news: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days has, so far, been epic win. Wiiiith one small exception—the part where you have to tail Pete in Agrabah. That was frustrating…oi vey. -_-;;**

**Plus, I dug up Coliseum from my stash of old games. That's been keeping me busy, too. Typhlosion is just ultimate win in that game….not only is he really powerful, but he's just so squishable! All that shaggy, fluffy fur…! I swear, I could just bury my face in all that fur and give him a big raspberry! Uhhh, except then I'd probably find out what it's like to be a boiled egg. ^^; Those flames don't look none too gentle…**

**Oh, and I did find out another tidy little piece of trivia: Riolu can learn **_**Blaze Kick.**_** =D **

**Anyhow, here's chapter 24. Sorry for such a long hiatus. Read, enjoy, and be glad I've stuck with this one. Two years…that's a long time to stick with a fanfic. Wow. O.O Especially when you have the same writer's block problems that I do…**

**- - -**

Chapter 24: The Horror in a Scream

"Wow. Nice shiner you got there," Khalil commented as Aura wearily took a seat next to him and Jay in the main hall the next evening.

"What?" Aura impulsively reached up to touch her cheekbone, wincing as the previous day's bruise throbbed in response. "Oh."

"I couldn't have said it better. No offense, but you really do look like you got nailed in the face by a runaway Ponyta." Jay slid an apple across the table to Aura.

"Close enough. To be honest, I don't think there's that much difference with Ronja. I thought you said he was going to ease up?"

"It'll get easier, trust me. But it's only been two days, Aura. You're trying to pick fruit before it's ripened. Give it time to grow."

"Wow. Pick that one up from Razor?" Khalil quipped, looking up from the Cheri berry he was toying with in his paws.

Jay gave a sheepish smile. "Sort of."

"I'll bet _she_ doesn't leave a dojo with bruises and cracked ribs," Aura mumbled, looking at the apple that was still untouched in front of her.

"Oh, of course not. Razor is much tougher by far," Jay said. "Did I ever tell you about the time when she was cornered by bandits in the Northern Range? By the time we realized what was happening and got back to her, she had already leveled everything within a half mile radius."

Aura's head snapped up, eyes wide in horror. "You're kidding," she whispered, feeling the blood drain from her face. _This_ was what she was going to be up against once Ronja handed her off? She'd be lucky just to leave a scratch on Razor!

"I'm kidding. Really, Aura, you should see your face right now." Jay chuckled. Then, just as Aura felt she could start breathing again, he added, "but it _is_ true that those guys still haven't left the hospital. I don't think they'll be harassing anybody for a long time, not after what Razor put them through."

_Ulp._ "Jay, you're not helping my confidence that much."

"You know what the problem is?" Khalil put in. "Ronja's a juggernaut. You're focusing too much on trying to attack him, and effectively getting your arse handed to you. Try dodging him first, build up speed, y'know? Then you'll have time later on to try and find a hole in his defense."

"Tried that." Aura sighed. "That's usually when I end up getting a Bonemerang to the skull from behind. No matter where you are, he finds a way to hit you."

"Oh…" Khalil's face fell, and he began absently scratching his neck with a hind paw, very much like a dog. "Sheesh, I dunno what I can tell you, then. Raichu's way better at fighting the Ground-type than I am. Kinda ironic, considering the type disadvantage there…" He suddenly sat bolt upright, a new excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Hey, that's it! Why dont'cha ask Raichu for help? She's bound to have some tips for ya, and she'll be really happy to be able to help! Actually, hang on, I'll go get her for you." Getting up from his seat, Khalil dashed off before another word could be said. At the door he suddenly caught his paw against the entryway, causing him to tumble forward with a startled yell into the Pokemon walking by outside.

Raichu, laden down with a covered ceramic bowl carrying an assortment of berries, was focused solely on getting back to Dai and as a result was caught completely unawares by her teammate bulldozing into her. With a crash and a yelp the two fell over backwards, berries scattering everywhere across the floor. Raichu frantically whipped her tail up above her with an expert flick, maneuvering the lightning bolt blade so the bowl landed neatly on its flat side without spilling the contents inside.

"Whew. Got it!" She gave her customary goofball grin.

"Uh…" Khalil rolled himself into a sitting position and looked back over at Aura and Jay, who were watching the scene with odd expressions—actually, so was the entire room, for that matter. "Um, I uh, I found her…" he gave a nervous laugh.

With that everybody seemed to dismiss the chaos that had happened as just another everyday occurrence, although not right away. A Delcatty, pausing where she was, continued to give Khalil and Raichu a strange, lingering 'look', before she finally continued on her way with an indifferent air as if nothing had happened.

"Just another ho-hum day in the neighborhood, huh?" Jay joked as he started rounding some of the berries that had fallen. Aura soon joined him, doing her best to keep the small fruits balanced in her arms.

"Isn't all this food just a bit much, Raichu?" she asked as she made her way over to the thunder mouse, who was now nosing about on all fours to pick up her mess, the bowl having been set down out of the way. "I mean, we all know you have a lot of energy, but—"

"If moh foh meh," Raichu said—or leastways attempted to speak—around the Chesto berry she had in her teeth, lifting her teeth momentarily to look at Aura. "Ah fwohn oo fee fay."

"What?" One of Aura's ears twitched lopsidedly in her confusion.

Raichu neatly spit the berry out into Aura's waiting paws. "It's all mostly for Dai, not me. She's starting to feel better, so I thought I'd bring her some new kinds of berries to try besides just Oran and Rawst berries. Wanna come with?" she asked, brightening. "She's wanted to see you guys for, like, ages!"

"Um…" Aura hesitated. Would it really be alright? After all, they hadn't seen each other for such a long time, and if Dai was still upset over losing Blaziken…

"She's okay," Raichu piped up as if reading her thoughts. By now she had picked up the bowl again and was balancing it more or less carefully on her head, paws lightly gripping the sides to further stabilize it. "She's starting to smile a bit—she has a bit more of that happy aura she used to have, you know? Actually, I think a lot of it's 'cause of Luma. Really, it's cute how much she looks forward to seeing him every day, he's been stopping by and talking with her—"

"Wa-wait, hold on. Dai and…Luma?" Aura's thoughts were lost in confusion. _Dai and Luma?_ Together? When had this started? Surely, she thought, she would have gotten even the slightest feeling…wouldn't she?

"Yup! Dai was lucky to find such an awesome guy!" Raichu gushed, completely oblivious to her impending state of shock.

"Aura, you mean you really don't remember?" Jay asked, looking amused. "That day when Absol and Dai came back, and you got that weird feeling from Luma? You honestly didn't know what that meant?"

"Well…" Aura trailed off. Her mind was still only capable of one thought. _Dai and Luma?_

"Oh, wow. You really didn't know." Jay shook his head, then broke into laughter.

"I…my mind was preoccupied at the time," she argued lamely.

"Uh-_huh_," Khalil said, giving a mock, sagely bow of the head. "It's alright, Aura, we still like you, even if you are a bit oblivious sometimes."

"What do you mean, _sometimes?_ What else have I missed?"

"Gee, I just don't know," a new voice said from behind. "Maybe the big, green lizard that's been standing here for ten seconds, silently laughing at you."

"YAH!" Aura yelped and whirled, fur standing on end and well aware of Khalil cracking up behind her. "Don't do that to me, Razor!"

"Hey, you're supposed to be the empathic, right? Not my fault if you don't see me coming, kid. Hoi, Jay," Razor said, standing up from her spot against the wall and uncrossing her arms. "Jack just went nuts again and tried to crisp some Hypno. We need you to come help clean up."

"Let me guess, he lost?"

"Eh, depends on whether you count both guys knocking each other out as a loss."

"Ah, got it. Sorry, guys, I'll have to catch up to you later." Jay waved in farewell before heading away with Razor.

"Heh. Jack. I was wondering what he was up to." Khalil grinned once he had finally ceased laughing over Aura's antics. "Like Razor said, if she hasn't seen him for twenty minutes—"

"—he's in a world of trouble," Aura finished with a nod. "Come on, I think Raichu's already left. Let's try and catch up to her before she leaves us in the dust."

- - -

Luma was already there by the time they arrived, deep in conversation with Dai. He trailed off midsentence upon hearing their footsteps. "Oh, hi guys," he greeted.

"Hey, Luma." Aura turned to look at the other of Luma's evolutionary line. "Dai…"

She paused for a second, feeling oddly lightheaded. The feeling was then gone as quickly as it came. _What the…?_

"Aura!" Dai's expression lifted considerably—not that she wasn't already in a good mood. If anything, the bandages on her paws did little to mask the sense of bright, attentive content floating from her. The transformation astounded Aura—hadn't it been just days earlier that she'd seen this Pokemon crippled on the ground, debilitated by sickness and practically saturated in dirt and blood? Yet here she was now—clean, bright-eyed, and alert, seeming to grow stronger by the minute. Apparently Raichu's treatment had done more for her than Aura ever would have guessed.

So why did she get the feeling that something still was not quite right?

"How's it going, kiddo?" Khalil's long, narrow frame darted up next to Aura, a wide goofy grin on his face. "Heh, you don't look so bad to me. I betcha you could probably run rings around a Manectric. Right?" he said, nudging Aura in the ribs.

"Um, oh, right," Aura answered quickly, wrenching herself out of her thoughts. "Dai, has Raichu been here already? We were trying to keep up with her, but she got ahead of us."

"Uhm…what? Sorry, no. I haven't seen her since this morning."

"Carrying a big bowl," Khalil put in, "with lots of berries. She really didn't get here yet?"

"No, but speaking of whom…" Luma began.

"_Hey, guys!"_ the loud, smiling voice came from directly behind them. Khalil jolted about a foot into the air, back arching out of fright. A vague _pop_ was heard as flames suddenly combusted from the vents on his rump and head.

"_Ack!_" Aura yelped and instinctively rocked back from the unexpected flare-up, tripped, and fell to the floor, hitting her back against someone's leg. Her focus shifted rapidly upwards to Raichu's blank face, and the bowl held safely above her head.

"Sorry," the mouse apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you guys."

"Sh-sheesh…" Khalil gasped, holding a paw to his chest. "You better p-pray my heart starts beating again after that one…"

Aura finally recovered enough wit to edge warily away from Khalil's flames, which were still blazing merrily. "Can't you do something about those?" she asked. "You're making me nervous."

"Say what?" Khalil twisted his head around to look at his fiery rear end. "Ah, sorry, right. Instinct." Just like that the flames disappeared as he relaxed visibly, though the air around him still shimmered softly with nervous heat. "Lemme know next time you decide to jump up out of nowhere, will ya, Rai?"

"Got it. Oh, hey, I brought something for ya, Dai!" Raichu danced nimbly around Aura and Khalil and set the bowl down next to Dai's bed. "I was talking to Kangaskhan this morning, and she said it was a good time for you to start eating other stuff, so I went rooting through the kitchens and found these for you!"

Dai smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Raichu." Her gaze then fell upon the unfamiliar berries. "Um, what kind are these? I don't know if I've seen them before…"

"Chances are you haven't. These are rarer varieties," Luma explained, "the kind you can't find easily in dungeons. Usually you have to cultivate them yourself—it makes them more difficult to obtain, but they have a much wider range of tastes and benefits than your normal 'dungeon' kinds. This Passho berry, for example," he said, nudging a round cerulean berry enclosed in an odd, yellow and green shell on its lower half, "can be eaten to temporarily halve the effects of Water-type attacks, making it useful for Rock or Fire-types. There are several other berries with similar qualities, though most of the ones here are really only meant to be eaten for their flavor. Try this one." Luma picked one up and nudged it over to her.

Aura watched as Dai examined the small fruit curiously. The berry had a gently curved body and a warm, rosy pink color, though the skin transitioned to a gold yellow around the stem. After a pause Dai cautiously nipped off a small piece and chewed.

"Well?" Aura asked after a few seconds. She had to admit, she was burning with curiosity over this new variation to the usual diet of apples and Oran berries.

Dai suddenly gasped. "It's _good!"_ she exclaimed, her joy plain for all to see. Heck, her eyes were just about sparkling.

"So you like it," Luma stated, looking amused.

"I do!" Dai nodded vigorously. "If I'd known berries could be this good, I would've started growing some long ago!"

Aura's thoughts flashed back to their previous residence, that tidy, comfy hut tucked away from the hustle and commotion of village life. Her stomach turned—there was no point questioning if that house had survived, not with a disaster so widespread and cataclysmic. She might not have lived there for very long, not like Dai had, but for all it was worth that place was the only one she could truly call home. Knowing it was gone, that she could no longer wake up to gentle beams of sunlight through the window and the rustle of the trees, left a bitter, heavy cloud in her heart—a saddening reminder that she couldn't go back. In all the time she'd been here in Cairnehall she had felt more or less safe, and it was a decent place to live, with good Pokemon, but stone walls and the artificial light of Luminous Orbs did little to quell that eating feeling that grew stronger everyday…

Homesickness.

"I dunno," Khalil was saying as he managed to find a Grepa berry in the bowl and sat on his haunches, considerably leaving a few feet between himself and Aura to ease her nerves which came from the possibility of his flames igniting again. "I kinda prefer the image of you running around whupping the crap out of some thick-skulled Hariyama six times bigger than you—it's more hilarious that way." This got a giggle from both Dai and Raichu, causing him to break out into an even wider grin. "You living on a farm in the country and digging in the ground all day would be kinda weird."

"Oi, don't knock it!" Raichu smacked him—lightly—on the head. "She's good with Dig, you know that!"

"Yeah, good at digging holes to hide!" Khalil shot back, settling into a teasing mode.

"That was only for a few months!" Dai protested. "I stopped doing it ages ago!"

"Uh-huh, right up until that whole Wyvern Hill fiasco on April Fool's this year. That other team thought you looked like they were going to eat you or something!"

"And at the top," Raichu laughed, "when you reached the lake. It took them ages afterwards to get you out of that burrow you dug! Your fur was all poofy and funny looking, I remember!"

Dai groaned and buried her face in her paws. "Why, _why _do you guys always make fun of me?"

"Aww, Dai, we still love you," Raichu giggled, patting her head affectionately. "We can't help it, you're so much fun to tease."

"It shows…" Dai mumbled.

"Hey, Aura," Khalil said suddenly, "you remember anything yet? I mean we've known you for a few months now, but we really hardly know anything about you, ya know?"

"Yeah, he's right," Luma supported. "Surely you must have recovered at least some of your memory by now?"

Aura blinked, realizing that all eyes in the room were now on her. Feeling awkward about all the attention, she swallowed before speaking. "There's…not much I can tell you. I couldn't tell you anything about who I am, or where I came from, if I tried. I've had some brief flashes of memory, but none of them are really helpful. All I can remember is someone I think must have been my friend—a Mudkip. We used to play at mock battle when we were younger. I can't recall anything else, though."

"Can you remember the Mudkip's name, at least?" Dai pressed gently. "Even that could be helpful."

Aura thought long and hard about it, thinking back to that dream she'd had on her first night after waking up near Whiscash's pond. Nothing came immediately, though. Then, just as she was about to give up, something floated up into her thoughts. "Gale," she said without really thinking. "His name was Gale."

"Gale, huh…" Khalil scratched his head thoughtfully. "Never really heard of a Gale. The only Mudkip I've known was that one squirt here last year—Minu, I think his name was."

"Maybe some of the Pokemon from Treasure Town would know?" Dai put in. "Surely someone must know him, or at least have heard of him."

"Wait, what? I don't follow," Aura said, confused. "Why is his name so important?"

"He's someone who knows who you are, Aura," Luma explained. "If he's a part of your past life, he may be able to help us discover more about your identity. He could help restore your memories."

Aura blinked. She hadn't realized that. "But…why go to all that trouble? I mean…" she swallowed, suddenly feeling her throat close up. "You hardly even know me!" she burst out. "You've all done so much for me, but you don't know who I really am! For all you know I could be a terrible Pokemon! I could have done something unforgivable, and you wouldn't even know until it came back to hurt you all! I don't deserve all your help! I…" Feeling something cool brush her paw, she reached up to touch her face and was shocked to find herself crying. "I mean…I haven't even done anything for you all, and you…and you all are just doing so much for me!" Her voice wavered as she went on. "I'm just so _useless! _ All I ever do is take and take from the others around me, and I never even give anything back! I can't do anything to keep you all from getting hurt! What kind of friend lets their friend get hurt and doesn't do anything about it? I'm only cheating you all!"

"Aura, no."

Feeling a bandaged paw touch her own wrist, Aura looked up through the sheen of tears to see Dai looking at her with a kindly expression. "You are _not _useless," she said calmly. "Maybe you haven't realized it yet, but you've already done plenty for us. You have strength, Aura. People look at you, and they see someone who can keep going through the bad times even though you're already so battered and scared. They see someone with the power to endure, and that gives them hope for the future. Everybody here, fugitive or not, is able to believe better times will come because of Pokemon like you. But letting others know how helpless you feel doesn't make you weak, Aura. It takes real strength to admit when you don't know how to go on—I've learned that. Only by admitting our fears can we overcome them and grow to become stronger Pokemon in the end—not just physically, but in spirit, too."

"And regardless of whatever kind of past you may have had," Luma joined in, "none of that matters. What matters is the here, and the now—you're here now, and we all know you're a good Pokemon by heart. If you weren't, we wouldn't be with you."

Aura sniffled, fully aware of her eyes stinging. "You guys…"

A paw gently rubbed her back in comfort. She looked over to see it was Raichu patting her, a reassuring and unusually sensible smile on her face. "Guys…" she began again.

- - -

"_What are you doing here?!"_

_Suddenly, a searing pain, in his shoulder. A roar of agony escapes his throat as he throws himself to the side, just barely dodging the stabbing beak that was aimed to impale his heart. His efforts are fruitless, though, as a wing smashes his face, needle-sharp feathers detaching themselves and lodging deep into his flesh._

"_I warned you never to return!" the might voice shrieks. "You dare to trespass on my domain?! You rush to your death!"_

_He staggers backwards, his rear leg nearly buckling as his broken foot jams against the ground. Blood is flowing heavily from his wounds, staining his snow-white fur in his life's force and dizzying his vision. "I know it's insane, but listen to me!" he shouts, desperately hoping to make this beast see sense before it decides to shish-kabob him. "They're going to be coming for you next, there's no way you can expect to be able to defend yourself or this mountain against all of them! And what happens then?! You're just going to let them march up here and kill you? Don't fool yourself, they—"_

"_Silence! I've had enough of your nonsense!" the harsh caw splits the air. "You will die, as an example to other fools who dare test my authority!"_

_To his dismay, the air suddenly goes flat. Wind stops blowing, and a heavy feeling weighs down on his fur. He knows this tingling. He already was struck by this coming attack once three-hundred and twenty years ago. It was a miracle he even survived, and only then because of the interference of outside forces. Now, however, survival is doubtful. Already electricity is thronging around his foe, gathering to a near blinding intensity. "Now, be slain, and take joy in your swift death! TAKE TH—"_

_White, glinting scythe claws suddenly lash out of nowhere, interrupting the bird midsentence, slashing through the very veil of space. _

_Everything goes red…_

- - -

"Aura! For Arceus' sake, wake her up, hurry! _Aura!"_

With a strangled gasp Aura's eyes shot open, her vision still swimming with deep crimson clouds. She was just barely able to make out the silhouettes of the faces staring down worriedly at her.

_A scream_, was all she could think. _It happened again…another dimensional scream…_ Then full realization hit her of what she had seen, and with a desperate lurch she struggled to sit up.

"Absol!" she cried, nearly wild with fear. "He was hurt! They attacked him, and he was hurt! He—"

A hand placed itself over her mouth, cutting off her speech. "Raichu, Khalil," a cool, commanding voice ordered. "Get her to the infirmary. Let Razor know what happened, and tell her to come as soon as possible."

_Alakazam?!_

Aura's eyes widened, and she wrenched her muzzle out from under the hand. "I can't go lie down!" she protested. "I told you, Absol's in danger! We have to help him! I have to go help—"

"Aura, c'mon," Khalil sounded pleading. "You can't just go running off when you're still barely able to think straight. Don't make us have to force you, because we will. Please, Aura, don't. I really don't want to have to…"

Looking over at his and Raichu's faces, Aura saw the solemn sense of urgency in both, and fully believed every word Khalil said. With reluctance she allowed herself to be led out, leaving Alakazam in the room with Dai and Luma.

Nobody said anything for a moment—all three just sat there in silence. Then, at last, Alakazam's gaze met Luma's. Luma soon got the message.

"I understand." He nodded and stood, heading out of the room. "Dai, is it okay if I come back tomorrow?" he asked, keeping a calm, mild air in an attempt to keep the Espeon calm.

Dai, however, was far from calm. Aura's outburst had shaken her deeply—and what about Absol? _God, no, not him too…first Blaziken, and now him, please, no…_ "S…sure," she stammered. Luma continued to linger at the door, uncertain of leaving, but after a bit departed.

Dai shifted uncomfortably, waiting for Alakazam to speak. Elder and pupil sat in silence for a while longer. Soon she recognized the faint tendrils probing through her mind, searching through her emotions. Under Alakazam's mental influence her fear began to die down a little, enough so that at least she could stay calm while talking.

"Alakazam…" she said, and hesitated, unsure of how to continue. "…you're back," was all she could come up with.

Alakazam nodded.

"Are they okay? Tyranitar and Charizard?"

A slight pause, and then another nod. "It seemed Charizard had left in search of something. He is unharmed."

"I'm glad…"

"I understand you had something of a rough return yourself," he added. "It relieves us all to see you recovering at such a good rate. The experience at Delta Pass was not a good one."

Dai bit her lip, feeling sadness rise again at the reminder. "No…"

"Part of the rescue leader's job is to endure catastrophe, to see their mission through to the end. The difficulties one encounters are important in shaping our destinies and who we become. But too much has been going on as of late." He shook his head sadly. "Perhaps the remainder of the illness is stemmed from all the tragedy you've been forced to witness. It is probably time you were able to witness for once the growth of a good thing, rather than so much death and destruction. But it may be a while yet…"

"Alakazam, the village…" Dai found herself struggling again to speak. "It's not really…gone, is it? Tell me it isn't…"

"It is." Alakazam sighed. All at once Dai felt incredibly small and overwhelmed. Before she could say anything, though, Alakazam spoke again.

"I also understand you fully intend to return to Delta Pass once you recover. To search for Blaziken."

Startled, Dai's eyes shot up to Alakazam's face, widening. Alakazam smiled wryly. "You never were fully able to mask your intentions from prying minds," he said simply.

Dai swallowed and lowered her head guiltily. "Y…yeah…."

"No worries, Darienne, I have no intentions of stopping you from going to the aid of your teammate—no, your friend. But with all that has happened, the Rescue Team Organization has strictly forbidden any one from heading into that dungeon. Any Pokemon trespassing through the boundaries of Delta Pass will be arrested on account of direct treason to the Organization and disturbance of the peace. Knowing that, you'll still go?"

Dai looked up again. Her eyes became stronger, more determined. "Yes. I do. I'm not going to leave Blaziken there to meet his fate. He would do the same for me."

The faint hint of a genuine smile crossed onto Alakazam's face, pleased. "Very well. You speak good words. When the time comes, you will have my support."

Relief washed through Dai—relief that she wasn't being talked out of it, and relief to have someone backing her up. "Thanks, Alakazam—I mean, thank you."

"But," Alakazam put in, standing to leave, "be prepared for great changes in the future. There is going to be a good deal of turmoil ahead, and peace is a long ways away. I can sense discoveries looming on the horizon, and not all of them are good."

His eyes held hers, solemn and foreboding.

"There is a chance, Darienne, that one of us may meet an end in blood. Death hovers over us, and the time is approaching when it will claim its toll."

TBC…


End file.
